Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on June 24, your feeds have been filled with terrible headlines of new restrictions on abortion every day. Our partners and supporters have be calling for elected officials to take action to protect abortion access and reduce the harm that Ohioans are facing, and local officials across the state have responded loud and clear. Cities across Ohio have been calling for increased protections for people seeking abortions including measures from deprioritizing criminalization of abortion to establishing grant funds to support those who have to seek out of state care.
Toledo City Council met this past Wednesday to discuss a response to Ohio’s new abortion law. Council members Nick Komives, Theresa Gadus, and Michele Grim penned a letter of intent, stating in part: “The U.S. Supreme Court has stolen the right to our residents’ bodily autonomy and abortion services, and will impact not only people needing abortion services but also pregnant people facing complications during pregnancy, limiting the care that Ohio physicians can provide their pregnant patients. Ohio is already in the midst of a maternal health crisis. Since 2015, Ohio’s maternal mortality rate has been increasing, and is now higher than the national average. A Black woman in Ohio is two and a half times more likely to experience maternal mortality than a white woman. Similar trends are seen with severe maternal morbidity, Black women in Ohio are two times more likely to experience severe maternal morbidity than white women, and Latinx and Asian women also had higher rates than their white counterparts.” Council President Matt Cherry and Council members John Hobbs III, Vanice Williams, Sam Melden, Theresa Morris, Cerssandra McPherson, and Dr. Tiffany Preston Whiman have signed onto the letter in support of the proposed policy initiatives. Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz is working with the City Council to ensure that Toledo is a place where people “of all incomes can get access to the health care they need and deserve.”
On Monday, Columbus City Council unanimously passed a package of pro-abortion initiatives including grants to fund abortion support and to contract with Pro-Choice Ohio to protect people from misinformation spread by crisis pregnancy centers, and a resolution to de-prioritize criminal enforcement of abortion bans. On the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Council member Shayla Favor stated: “It’s simple. Abortion is health care and access to health care is a human right. This decision was an attack on people of color, people of low income, marginalized individuals with no health insurance, victims of rape and incest, infertile people, and those who live in health care deserts. It is a blow to bodily autonomy, reproductive health, patient safety and health equity in the United States.” Council member Lourdes Barroso de Padilla followed: “Sexual education and reproductive health is important now more than ever, and reproductive health is a personal choice. My colleagues and I are committed to making real investments so that every person with a uterus can make the best, most informed decisions about their own bodies. We’re excited to launch a comprehensive reproductive health education campaign later this year with a focus on people furthest from justice, Black and brown communities and immigrants, migrants, refugees, and the poor and the uninsured.” Council President Pro Tempore Elizabeth Brown said about these fake health centers, “It’s a concern to all of us if lies are to us in the exam rooms up to and including claims of an association between abortion and adverse health consequences or even encouragement not to seek immediate prenatal care.”
Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren expressed his opposition to Ohio’s six week abortion ban. He stated, “Abortion is health care and health care is a human right. Moreover, the right to choose to have an abortion is a function of bodily autonomy, the power to determine what happens to our own bodies, also a fundamental human right.” Seren continued, “The right to make a private health care decision to determine what happens to your own body is foundational to liberty.” The mayor called upon City Council to provide funding to assist pregnant people who must travel to receive abortion care. Watch the mayor’s full remarks on the city’s YouTube page.
Just days after the Supreme Court decision, Lakewood City Council passed a resolution condemning the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and called upon state and federal government to codify the right to access abortion into law. Watch the full June 27 meeting on the Lakewood city webpage. In an effort to take tangible, local steps following that, Council members Jason Shachner, Sarah Kepple, and Cindy Marx introduced ordinance 20-2022, which aims to prevent city resources or funds from being used to investigate residents’ abortion care. On July 25th, the Lakewood Finance Committee discussed the ordinance in full, and we expect further opportunities for public comment and a vote in the coming weeks. Watch the full July 25 committee meeting on the Lakewood city webpage.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb is working with Cleveland City Council members to establish a Reproductive Freedom Fund to provide support to those seeking out of state care. He stated, “the City is committed to protecting residents’ ability to seek the reproductive health care options that they choose for themselves.” Law Director Mark Griffin said, “It’s not enough to have the rights, you also have to have the resources, so for women who can’t afford it we’re going to work with council to create a fund so they can go out of state to protect their health.”
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval also spoke out in favor of protecting the right to abortion. Pureval introduced a plan to support city employees seeking abortion care, stating “While these new policies are crucial steps for the protection of our employees and their families, we are committed to doing everything we can to support the autonomy, equality, and reproductive health of all women in Cincinnati.” Watch the mayor’s full remarks.
