Keep Women’s Health Decisions Between a Woman and her Doctor
At the Ohio Statehouse, lawmakers are often debating healthcare legislation about a woman’s body and healthcare access. These bills are moving fast, and they'll shape what's actually available to you and the people you care about. You don't have to have it all figured out to help. Staying in the loop and speaking up is how you keep your options on the table.
Why does it matter?
For decades, women have fought for adequate, women-focused healthcare. In the news, women's healthcare is often reduced to abortion access. It covers much more: reproductive health, maternal health, health equity, bodily autonomy, and violence against women.
Many women, especially those from marginalized groups, face systemic barriers to care. Now those basic rights are being challenged by current policy and legislation. Access and choice are at stake.
Resources:
History of the Women’s Health Movement in the 20th Century - Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing
Gender Biases in Health Care: Listen to Women About Their Own Health - RAND
What’s happening with a woman’s right to choose?
From 1973 to 2022, Roe v. Wade protected a woman's right to choose. In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. That ended nearly 50 years of federal protection and returned the power to regulate abortion to the states.
Through both citizen ballot initiatives or legislated laws with no citizen vote, states decide their own abortion laws. In states that abortion has been banned or severely limited, the following has happened:
Dangerous Care Delays: Texas law explicitly allows doctors to treat and terminate ectopic pregnancies, as they are not viable and do not legally count as abortions. However, severe criminal penalties, high fines, and the threat of losing medical licenses have created fear among hospital staff. This confusion causes dangerous delays and denials in emergency rooms. Texas has created legislation to help clarify treatment but confusion and fear remain within healthcare facilities.
Criminalizing Patients: The political overreach isn't stopping with doctors. Lawmakers in multiple states are actively pushing legislation to prosecute pregnant women directly.
Real-World Threats: Women are already being detained and charged under vague, extreme laws.
The next step by conservative groups is hoping the Supreme Court will rule on “fetal personhood.” The implications of this movement and potential outcomes could reverberate in access to birth control and IVF treatments.
Four years after the Dobbs ruling, public opinion data shows a decisive shift. A growing majority of Americans firmly support protecting reproductive privacy and keeping politicians out of personal healthcare decisions.
Resources:
The Status of State Abortion-related state ballot Initiatives since Dobbs - KFF
A Review of Exceptions in State Abortion Bans: Implications for the Provision of Abortion Services - KFF
Ectopic Pregnancy Deaths Have Nearly Doubled. It’s Worse in States with Abortion Bans. - ProPublica
State Policy Trends Midyear Analysis: Five Key Issues to Watch in 2026 - guttmacher
DA dropped charges against woman arrested for having an abortion after public outcry - Independent
The Legal Consequences of the Fetal Personhood Movement - Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy
Public opinion on abortion has shifted 4 years after Dobbs decision over-turned Roe vs. Wade - The Conversation
How can you take action in Ohio?
Stay informed.
Follow Let’s Talk Menopause to support menopausal care.
Use KFF’s Women’s Health Policy hub for nonpartisan policy tracking.
Talk about it. Raise women’s health with your family, friends, and community. Share this page!
Be ready to act. Find your Ohio legislators and contact them when women’s health legislation is introduced.
Resources:
2025-2026 Legislation - Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio
Root, Renew, Rise - Wellness for Every Hue - Hues Women’s Health Advocacy Institute
Women’s Health Policy - KFF
Find Your Legislators - League of Women Voters
Ohio voters enshrine abortion access in constitution in latest statewide win for reproductive rights - AP
Reproductive rights regulated, tested in Ohio Republican bills, as Dems continue attempts to protect - Ohio Capital Journal
Ohio House committee considers bills that could impact abortion medication, access - Ohio Capital Journal
What’s happening in Ohio?
Ohio voters passed Issue 1 in November 2023 to protect abortion, contraception, and IVF access, but state lawmakers are actively working on ways around it. Multiple bills are moving through the General Assembly to challenge or restrict those rights.
House Bill 370 seeks full fetal personhood from conception, which would effectively criminalize abortion, IVF treatments, and emergency contraception. Another proposal, House Bill 324 would restrict access to mifepristone, a medication used safely for abortion and miscarriage care for decades. The bill is based on a 2022 study later retracted for methodological flaws and imposes unnecessary restrictions on providers and patients.
While state courts continue to strike down older abortion bans under Article I, Section 22, the legislature keeps introducing new statutory obstacles.