Ohio

Ohio Court Overturns Conviction of Pregnant Woman for Drug Use

An Ohio court of appeals unanimously overturned a pregnant woman’s conviction under the state’s “Corrupting Another with Drugs” law last month in a rare post-Dobbs win for the rights of pregnant people. Prosecutors in Ohio—and elsewhere—have increasingly sought to “protect” fetuses by manipulating state laws initially passed to protect pregnant people themselves from harm.

Though prosecutors have vowed to appeal the ruling vacating Hollingshead’s conviction, the Ohio court’s decision could help slow the march towards criminalizing pregnant women.

Keeping Score: Fighting Florida’s Book Bans; Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom Gather Signatures for November Ballot Measure; HIV Infections Down 12%

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: Rhode Island expands guaranteed abortion coverage; PEN America and Penguin Random House file lawsuit against Florida book ban, while NAACP issues Florida travel ban; Michigan protects abortion patients from employment discrimination; rock fans mourn the death of star Tina Turner; South Carolina votes to pass six-week abortion ban; HIV infections decreased in the U.S.; and more.

Doctors Protest Ohio Six-Week Abortion Ban: ‘Greatest Assault on Women’s Rights in Our Lifetime’

When the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, the Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost moved quickly to enforce the state’s six-week abortion ban. Shortly after, a 10-year-old rape victim who was six weeks and three days pregnant was denied an abortion in Ohio, forcing the girl to travel out of state for necessary medical care to end the pregnancy.

Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights released an open letter signed by over 1,000 doctors in the state protesting the dangerous ban.

Women’s Representation Must-Reads: How Women Without a Choice Fare Far Worse; Nan Whaley Makes History in Ohio

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Brazilians are taking representation into their own hands by power-sharing political seats; there are still too few groups to address the scale of the global gender gap; Nan Whaley wins Democratic nomination for governor, becoming the first woman nominated by a major party in Ohio; and more.