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OH Jail Must Revise Abortion Policy

Inmates in need of abortion services at the Cuyahoga County Jail in Ohio will now receive transportation to clinics that can perform the procedure. The county will also provide sex education programs and information on contraception, abortion, and adoption to inmates as part of a legal settlement reached with a former prisoner, Yuriko Kawaguchi. In 1998, Judge Patricia Cleary sentenced Kawaguchi to six months in jail on forgery charges. Kawaguchi contends that Cleary only sentenced her to jail after learning that she was pregnant and seeking an abortion. The Ohio Supreme Court later suspended Cleary – a vocal anti-choice supporter – from practicing law because of her biased ruling in the Kawaguchi case. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Kawaguchi, who was forced to carry her pregnancy to term, then sued the jail. As part of the settlement, Kawaguchi will receive only $1,000.

Sources:

Cleveland Plain Dealer, 6/4/02; Associated Press, 6/5/02

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