Here's how local abortion clinics are responding to judge's block on 24-hour waiting period

Abortion clinics in the region have begun offering same-day procedures after a judge blocked the state's mandatory 24-hour waiting period Friday.

Dr. David Burkons, who owns the only abortion clinic in Summit County, started same-day services Monday for people seeking abortions.

"We expected the ruling to be in our favor," Burkons said.

So far, the Northeast Ohio Women’s Center in Cuyahoga Falls has already done a few medical abortion procedures and performed at least two same-day surgeries since the temporary block, Burkons said.

Schedulers have told patients walking in that they can get the whole procedure the same day as long as it's paid in full and convenient for them, he added.

Burkons said the 24-hour waiting period after a patient's initial appointment − during which doctors must give patients state-approved information about the procedure − often didn't make sense.

"For some out-of-state clients, they can [now] get it done quickly without having to wait and pay for extra days to stay in the state," Burkons said, adding that medical abortion procedures, which simply involve taking medications, are now "much easier to do."

Who else is providing same-day abortions in the state?

Burkons owns three of the nine abortion clinics in the entire state. In addition to his clinic in Summit County, he has locations in Shaker Heights and Toledo.

Other abortion clinics are following suit. Planned Parenthood said earlier this week that it would begin phasing in same-day abortion services in Ohio over the next couple weeks, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

A media contact at Preterm, an abortion clinic in Cleveland, said the clinic is still adjusting its office workflow to accommodate patients, but a number of same-day medical abortions have been performed there already.

Why was there a 24-hour waiting period on abortion procedures?

The move to same-day procedures follows Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge David Young ordering a temporary injunction blocking the 24-hour waiting period and other policies Friday.

In his decision, he wrote that the language in the amendment approved by Ohio voters in November is clear and unambiguous. "A person's right to reproductive freedom is now enshrined in the Ohio Constitution," Young wrote, stating that the 24-hour waiting period interferes with that.

However, Young's decision isn't permanent. The mandate is only on hold as the case makes its way through the courts.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's office, which maintains that the waiting period is meant to make sure the patient is fully informed and that state-approved information is not misleading, said they plan to appeal the decision.

In 2023, Ohioans approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing access to abortion and other reproductive rights, but attorneys sued to block policies that make it harder to get an abortion.

The law required patients to wait at least 24 hours after their first in-person appointment to have an abortion. During the initial appointment, doctors must give patients state-approved information that they say goes beyond informed consent and can be stigmatizing and misleading.

Before an abortion, a provider must check for embryonic or fetal cardiac activity and offer the patient an opportunity to listen. The patient also must receive state-approved materials detailing family planning options and alternatives to abortion.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Here's how local abortion clinics are responding to judge's block on 24-hour waiting period