The Ohio Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed a lawsuit challenging the state’s abortion rights amendment, though the broader legal fight over the 2023 measure is far from over.
Trumbull County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division Court Judge David Engler, a Republican, argued the amendment prevented him from weighing in on whether minors can obtain abortions when their parents object — a process known as judicial bypass.
The high court threw out Engler’s challenge in August without addressing the merits of his argument.
Voters enshrined abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution in 2023, but the amendment’s practical reach is still being defined in court. Abortion rights supporters have sued to block remaining bans and restrictions, and those appeals are expected to eventually reach the Ohio Supreme Court, where Republicans hold six of seven seats.
Legal observers say the coming cases — over issues like waiting periods, clinic regulations and parental involvement laws — will determine how far the amendment’s protections extend in practice.
For now, the amendment stands as voters approved it, and both sides are preparing for the next round of battles over what it actually requires of the state.
