In Ohio, you can get an abortion through about 22 weeks of pregnancy measured from your last menstrual period. After that point, abortion remains legally available only when a treating physician determines it is necessary to protect the patient’s life or health. The often-cited six-week “heartbeat” limit is no longer in force: an Ohio court permanently blocked it in October 2024 after voters added reproductive rights to the state constitution.
The 22-Week Limit and How It’s Measured
Two overlapping rules set Ohio’s current cutoff. A state statute prohibits abortion once the probable post-fertilization age of the fetus reaches 20 weeks.1Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code Chapter 2919 – Section 2919.201 Because post-fertilization age runs roughly two weeks behind gestational age counted from the last menstrual period (LMP), that works out to about 22 weeks LMP, which is the way most clinics and pregnancy calculators express dates.
The Ohio Constitution, amended by Issue 1 in November 2023, allows the state to prohibit abortion after fetal viability, defined as the point when, in the treating physician’s professional judgment, the fetus has a significant likelihood of survival outside the uterus with reasonable measures.2Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Constitution Article I Viability is decided case by case by the doctor rather than fixed in weeks. In practice, the 20-week post-fertilization statute sets the operational deadline at roughly 22 weeks LMP for most patients.
What Happened to the Six-Week Heartbeat Ban
Senate Bill 23, signed in 2019, banned abortion after detection of fetal cardiac activity at roughly six weeks.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 2919.195 – Performance of Abortion After Detection of Fetal Heartbeat It briefly took effect in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, then was blocked by a temporary injunction that September. In October 2024, a Hamilton County judge permanently enjoined the law, ruling that it conflicts with the state constitutional amendment. The six-week ban is not currently enforceable in Ohio.
Exceptions After the Gestational Limit
An abortion beyond 22 weeks LMP requires a medical justification. Ohio law defines a “medical emergency” as a condition that, in the physician’s good-faith medical judgment, so complicates the pregnancy as to require an immediate abortion to prevent death or a serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.4Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 2919.16 – Abortion Definitions In a true emergency, no second opinion is required.
Outside an emergency, a second physician unaffiliated with the one performing the procedure must confirm the medical necessity before the abortion, and written documentation must be kept in the patient’s records.5Ohio Attorney General. Explainer Regarding Ohio’s Heartbeat Law Exceptions
The older statutory exceptions are limited to physical conditions, but the constitutional amendment uses the broader word “health” and allows post-viability abortion when the treating physician determines it is necessary to protect the patient’s life or health.2Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Constitution Article I Whether that broader language extends to mental and emotional health is still being worked out in court.
Ectopic pregnancies, where a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, sit outside these rules entirely. Their treatment is not classified as an abortion under Ohio law and is not subject to gestational limits.
The 12-Week Window for Medication Abortion
If you are considering the pill regimen (mifepristone and misoprostol) rather than an in-clinic procedure, the window is shorter. Medication abortion is available in Ohio up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Beyond that, you would need an in-clinic procedure, which remains available up to the 22-week limit.
A 2021 Ohio law (Senate Bill 260) barred telehealth prescribing of abortion medication, but that ban is currently blocked by a preliminary injunction. Some providers, including Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, offer medication abortion through a remote physician consultation, but only for patients physically located in Ohio. House Bill 324, which would require an in-person visit before prescribing, had not become law as of early 2026.
Timing Around the 24-Hour Waiting Period
Ohio’s informed consent statute requires a physician to meet with the patient in person at least 24 hours before performing an abortion and to provide information about the procedure’s risks, the probable gestational age, and the risks of carrying the pregnancy to term.6Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code Section 2317.56 – Informed Consent That 24-hour wait and the in-person consultation are currently blocked by a Franklin County preliminary injunction, which found that they do not advance patient health and violate the constitutional amendment.
While the injunction is in place, you are not required to make a separate trip a day before the procedure, and you can generally schedule the appointment and procedure on the same day. Ohio House Republicans passed House Bill 347 in early 2026 to reinstate a waiting period, and its status remains tied up in the litigation over the amendment’s scope. If any waiting requirement returns, it could affect how close to the 22-week limit you can realistically schedule.
If You Are Under 18
Ohio requires the informed written consent of one parent, guardian, or custodian before a minor can obtain an abortion.7Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code Section 2919.121 – Unlawful Abortion Upon Minor Only one parent’s consent is needed. This rule remains in effect after the constitutional amendment.
A minor who cannot or does not want to involve a parent can file a judicial bypass petition in juvenile court. The judge decides whether the minor is mature enough to make the decision independently or, if not, whether the abortion is in the minor’s best interest. The court must rule within five business days, and the minor is entitled to a court-appointed attorney at no cost.8Supreme Court of Ohio. Amendments to the Rules of Superintendence – Judicial Bypass Revisions A denial can be appealed, though an appeal adds time that may push a pregnancy closer to the 22-week limit. Outcomes vary by court.
The Short Version
Abortion is legal in Ohio through about 22 weeks LMP, and up to 12 weeks if you are using medication rather than an in-clinic procedure. After 22 weeks, the procedure is available only when a physician determines it is necessary to protect your life or health, with a second-physician confirmation required outside a true emergency. The six-week ban is permanently blocked, and the 24-hour waiting period is not currently being enforced. Because several of these rules are being actively litigated, confirm the current status with a provider before scheduling.