by Mary Margaret Olohan
An abortion clinic is dodging Ohio law by suggesting that pregnant mothers hide that they want to abort their unborn baby because of a Down Syndrome diagnosis.
Preterm Cleveland’s website offers a pop up message telling patients that “it is legal in Ohio to get an abortion for any reason,” but warning that “under a new Ohio law, we cannot provide an abortion if we know that the reason is in whole or in part because of a fetal Down syndrome diagnosis.”
“Preterm is open and seeing patients,” the pop up message reads. “Please call us with any questions or concerns.”
Preterm did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 9-7 decision in April that Ohio’s law was “valid in all conceivable cases” and that it did not substantially block a woman’s ability to get an abortion. The law, which was challenged by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, prohibits a person from performing an abortion on a pregnant woman seeking the abortion because her baby has Down Syndrome.
The abortion clinic’s website also describes how the clinic deals with mother seeking to abort based on a fetal anomaly like Down Syndrome.
“If you are ending a pregnancy because of a fetal anomaly or abnormality, we are sensitive to the fact that you may be experiencing profound grief,” Preterm’s website said. “We are committed to providing you with excellent medical care and emotional support.”
Preterm told patients that the clinic will ask them for the name of the patient’s referring physician and ask if the mother or the physician wants to have additional genetic testing of the baby after the abortion.
“Important Notice,” the website adds. “Under a new Ohio law, we cannot provide an abortion if we know that the reason is in whole or in part because of a Fetal Down Syndrome diagnosis. Please call with any questions or concerns.”
The clinic performed 4,102 abortions in the 2020 fiscal year, according to its annual report.
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Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Blonde boy” by Vanellus Foto CC BY-SA 3.0.
