Treating Human Life Like Trash: Ohio Court Blocks Dignified Burial Law
The masks are off in Ohio. Activist judges on the 1st District Court of Appeals have officially used the 2023 Issue 1, the so-called Reproductive Freedom Amendment, to strike down a law requiring the humane burial or cremation of aborted children.
Excerpt from page 22 of Planned Parenthood SW Ohio Region v. Ohio Dept. of Health, 2026-Ohio-639
The official court ruling in Planned Parenthood SW Ohio Region v. Ohio Dept. of Health confirms exactly what we warned: the abortion industry isn’t just looking to end life; they are fighting to ensure the bodies of these children are treated like medical waste. By upholding a permanent injunction against The Fetal Remains Burial Act (SB27), the court has ruled that Ohio cannot require "humane" treatment for fetal remains because doing so allegedly "burdens" the exercise of abortion.
Removing Human Dignity from State Policy
Before this ruling, SB27 sought to replace a vague requirement for "humane" disposal with a clear standard: aborted children deserve a burial or cremation. Now, children aborted at 10, 15, or 20 weeks will continue to fall under infectious waste regulations—no differently than a removed appendix or used bandages. This judicial overreach effectively grants the abortion industry a pass on basic ethical standards that most Ohioans find common sense.
What Ohioans voted for their legislators to pass (SB27)
What activist judges ordered
"The court's decision removes a basic standard of human dignity from state policy," said Peter Range, CCV Senior Fellow for Strategic Initiatives. This outcome is the direct result of a deceptively worded amendment that activists are now using as a sledgehammer against every common-sense protection for the unborn.
The Broader Scope: A Judicial Veto of the People’s Will
This decision isn’t likely to be an isolated incident. It is the first affirmative interpretation from an appellate court regarding how far this amendment goes. By claiming the amendment protects conduct "before, during, and after" an abortion, the court has signaled that virtually any safety or dignity standard is now on the chopping block.
We are seeing the systematic dismantling of laws designed to reflect basic respect for human life. Until we can remove the abortion amendment from our Constitution, CCV remains committed to standing for the vulnerable and ensuring that the abortion industry is held accountable, even as activist courts attempt to silence the conscience of our state.
For more information, contact CCV at 513-733-5775 or contact@ccv.org. For media inquiries, email media@ccv.org.
As Ohio's largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of our neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel.
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