Ohio sues Biden admin over reversal of Trump-era abortion referral ban

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration Monday over a Trump-era ban on abortion referrals that President Biden overturned earlier this month.

The big picture: The lawsuit aims to reinstate two measures included in the 2019 legislation that required federally funded family planning clinics to be "financially independent of abortion clinics," and refrain from referring patients for abortions.

• Yost alleged that Biden had broken federal law by reversing the ban on abortion referrals, saying, "Federal law prohibits taxpayer funding of abortion — and that law means means nothing if the federal money isn't kept separate."
• The action filed by Ohio's Republican attorney general was joined by 11 other states, per the release.

Flashback: Former President Trump issued the rule in 2018 to appeal to his anti-abortion base, Axios' Shawna Chen writes.

• The Biden administration revoked the ban earlier this month, issuing a revision that allows health clinics to receive the Title X federal family planning funds, even if they make abortion referrals.