Ohio - Now that a federal judge has ruled Ohio's six-week abortion ban unconstitutional, the measure protecting reproductive rights passed by voters last year is the law of the land. 

But is this the end of the discussion, or can lawmakers still find ways to limit abortion rights in the state?

One of the lead attorneys on the case told 21 news the decision will not stop efforts to limit abortion rights in Ohio.

“Although it was a permanent ruling, this is not the end of the story. So one thing already is the attorney general could appeal and we’ll have to wait and see what happens with that. But the other thing is there is a possibility that the legislature could try to act,” said Jessie Hill, ACLU Ohio cooperating attorney and Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve.

Last year, nearly 60% of Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment protecting reproductive rights. But since Ohio already had a "heartbeat bill" in place, the matter was in legal limbo. With the bill being permanently blocked, that is no longer the case.

The judge decided “Ohio voters have spoken. The Ohio Constitution now unequivocally protects the right to abortion.”

Hill said this decision was deemed unconstitutional because of the new amendment.

“The amendment is very clear that the state can only add restrictions on abortion if those restrictions are designed to protect patient health and safety,” said Hill. “This is the first ruling in the country permanently blocking an abortion ban after a constitutional amendment in the wake of Dobs.”

This does not mean the laws can’t change.

“It's always possible for abortion opponents to come back with a new constitutional amendment, for the legislature to pass new laws that they believe they might be able to defend,” said Dan Kobil, Professor of law at Capital University. 

With the balance of power on the state supreme court on the ballot, the future of Ohio abortion rights is uncertain.

“If justices are elected who are opposed to the majority's constitutional amendment that was passed last year, they could try to undercut it,” said Kobil.

If any federal abortion restriction were passed, that would override Ohio law.