Planned Parenthood asked a federal court to block Ohio health officials from interfering with its services after allegations that the women’s health and abortion provider is improperly disposing of aborted fetuses in landfills.
The group filed a lawsuit Sunday for a preliminary injunction against actions threatened by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, who says his office has discovered that biomedical companies used landfills to dispose of fetuses from three Planned Parenthood clinics in the state.
DeWine plans to file papers for his own injunction on Monday to prevent Planned Parenthood from disposing of aborted fetal remains in landfills, his office said. Ohio Department of Health Director Rick Hodges has said he is working with DeWine “to restrict Planned Parenthood activities where violations of law have occurred.”
DeWine said Friday he discovered that fetuses aborted in Planned Parenthood centers in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus were not disposed of “in a humane manner,” as required by state law. The law doesn’t clarify what qualifies as “humane” or list any penalties for violating the statute.
Jerry Lawson, chief executive of Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio, says his clinics get rid of medical tissue just as other health providers in the state do. He and other Planned Parenthood officials say the state actions are an attempt to restrict abortion access in Ohio.
“We work with licensed medical removal companies to handle fetal tissue respectfully and safely,” Lawson said. “It’s clear from the attorney general’s press conference that we’ve acted properly and legally, and this is just part of his longstanding political agenda to ban abortion in all cases. We won’t let that happen.”
