Ohio is characterized as a state with some restrictions/protections by the Guttmacher Institute.
Abortion is protected up to fetal viability (with exceptions to preserve the life or physical health of the pregnant woman). The state constitution protects the right to an abortion.
In the US, people who are not white and people with low incomes are more likely to experience barriers to reproductive health care access.
IN THIS STATE
As of 2024, 2.4 million women are of reproductive age in Ohio.
- 11.9 percent are low income (similar to the national average)
- 17.4 percent are likely eligible for Medicaid because their income is at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (higher than the national average)
- 28.3 percent are nonwhite (lower than the national average), and Black women are the largest nonwhite group (13.3 percent; similar to the national average)
- 8.4 percent are uninsured (lower than the national average)
Ohio has expanded Medicaid and thus provides coverage to adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) and pregnant women with incomes up to 205 percent of FPL. Ohio has extended pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage up to 12 months postpartum. The state does not use state funds to cover abortion for Medicaid beneficiaries, with limited exceptions. The state has not expanded Medicaid eligibility for coverage of family planning services.
Accessing Abortion Care
In 2026, 14 clinics in the state provide abortions—up from 10 clinics in 2020. This number excludes hospitals and telehealth providers.
Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are organizations—often operated by anti-abortion, nonmedical, and/or religiously affiliated groups—that aim to deter people from certain reproductive health care services, including abortion and some contraceptive methods. In 2025, there were 117 CPCs in Ohio—more than eight times the number of abortion-providing clinics. These centers receive state funding.
Patients face the following restrictions on abortion access:
Abortion providers in Ohio face the following restrictions that limit their ability to practice:
Accessing Contraceptive Care
According to Power to Decide, around 790,000 women of reproductive age in Ohio live in contraceptive access gaps, putting them at increased risk of a mistimed or unintended pregnancy.
Ohio has the following protections for contraception access:
What to Watch For
In 2023, Ohio voters approved Issue 1, which amended the state constitution to establish “an individual right to one’s own reproductive medical treatment, including but not limited to abortion.” The amendment states that “abortion may be prohibited after fetal viability,” but permits exceptions “to protect the pregnant patient's life or health.” As a result, state courts issued an injunction blocking the state’s ban on abortions after around six weeks of pregnancy.
While the block stands, the state has appealed to keep certain provisions of the law, including record-keeping of abortions and criminalizing providers who fail to check for “fetal or embryonic cardiac activity.” The appeal is ongoing.
Two ongoing court cases—Preterm-Cleveland v. David Yost and Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region v. Ohio Department of Health—challenge the legality of abortion restrictions in light of the constitutional amendment, including the fetal cardiac test requirement, 24-hour waiting period, ban on the telemedicine provision of medication abortion, and prohibition against advanced practice clinicians prescribing mifepristone. These cases could end up before the Ohio Supreme Court, which has six Republican justices and one Democratic justice.
While the 24-hour waiting period is temporarily blocked, the Ohio legislature introduced HB347 that, if passed, would reinstate the waiting period. The bill has passed the House and is currently in the majority-Republican Senate.
In November 2026, Ohio will elect a new governor. Democratic candidate Amy Acton has pledged to protect abortion access. Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has not stated his platform related to abortion or reproductive health on his campaign website. The anti-abortion groups the Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio and Right to Life PAC have endorsed Ramaswamy.
Last updated: September 2026
