Lawsuit asks Ohio Supreme Court to toss reproductive rights amendment off November ballot

A lawsuit asks the Ohio Supreme Court to block the proposed reproductive and abortion rights amendment that’s been certified to appear on the ballot in November.

The lawsuit, filed by Cincinnati attorney Curt Hartman on behalf of two Republicans on Friday, asks the court to bar the amendment from the ballot because it doesn’t specifically list state laws that would be changed if it is passed. The lawsuit claims those laws include the six-week abortion ban that took effect briefly last summer before litigation put it on hold, along with the ban on abortion after a diagnosis of Down syndrome and the law requiring parental consent for abortions for minors.

The amendment was certified for the ballot last week after backers gathered 495,938 valid signatures from 55 counties. They needed around 414,000 from 44 counties.

Gabriel Mann, spokesman for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, said his group is confident it has met all of the ballot requirements and believes this lawsuit should be tossed.