The Reproductive Rights Law Initiative (RRLI) at Case ΒιΆΉΣ³» School of Law aims to preserve, protect, and expand access to abortion and reproductive health care in Ohio and throughout the Midwest. Directed by Professor Jessie Hill, the RRLI provides legal support to abortion providers and advocacy organizations, with the ultimate goal of creating a sustainable legal infrastructure in support of reproductive rights in Ohio. The RRLI works to preserve and advance the legal right of all Ohioans to make their own reproductive decisions through:
- Advocacy: Mounting legal challenges to abortion restrictions; engaging in proactive reproductive rights and justice work; defending against legal attacks on clinics and providers; and consulting with advocates who are working to effect change
- Scholarship: Developing and deploying a rigorous academic infrastructure to influence current and future legal strategies for protecting reproductive autonomy.
- Education: Training and inspiring the next generation of attorneys with expertise in reproductive rights; offering public education webinars; and serving as a much-needed information resource for information ΒιΆΉΣ³» reproductive health law and policy in Ohio.
As the only law school-based program of its kind outside the East and West coasts, the presence and visibility of the RRLI sends a compelling message ΒιΆΉΣ³» the importance of reproductive rights in the Midwest and the need to continue efforts to protect and expand them.
Following the Dobbs decision on June 24, 2022, the federal constitutional right to abortion was overturned, which led to Ohioβs six-week (βheartbeatβ) ban taking effect. In Sept. 2022, RRLI attorneys brought a legal challenge, resulting in a temporary injunction that kept abortion accessible up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. Then, on Nov. 7, 2023, Ohio voters passed the Reproductive Freedom Amendment at the polls, preserving abortion access and reproductive rights in the Ohio Constitution.
Despite this win, many abortion restrictions remain in Ohio law. However, the Reproductive Freedom Amendment provides the RRLI and its partners with a powerful new tool for fighting to retain and expand abortion access. This work is critical, given that Ohio is the seventh most populous state in the U.S. and a key geographic location for abortion accessβparticularly for those traveling from Southern and Midwestern states where abortion is currently banned.
To get in touch with the RRLI, contact Program Manager Holly Bland at holly.bland@case.edu.