Ohio Senate Budget Plan Could Harm Abortion Clinics

Two last-minute amendments to the Ohio Senate's version of the two-year state budget bill could force abortion clinics in Toledo and Dayton to close. One requires a "local" hospital used for emergency patient transfers to be within 30 miles. The other gives two months to obtain state permission to operate without a patient-transfer agreement. An Associated Press analysis conducted last month shows seven of Ohio's 16 abortion facilities have closed or curtailed services since 2011 thanks to laws passed by majority Republicans.