Policy Matters Ohio responds to Roe reversal
Posted June 24, 2022 in Press Releases
Supreme Court ruling hurts all Ohioans
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected 50 years of precedent, overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey — foundational decisions upholding the right to abortion nationwide. Policy Matters Ohio’s executive director, Hannah Halbert, issued this statement:
No matter where you live — the city or the country, suburbs, or small towns — we all want an Ohio where every single one of us can thrive. Everyone should have the freedom to make medical decisions based on what’s best for our health and our lives, including accessing an affordable range of pregnancy-related care like abortion. The decision released today will make the basic rights of bodily autonomy and healthcare privacy dependent on the state in which a person lives, and whether the individual can afford to travel to access care.
With nearly half of all people who seek abortions living below the poverty line, and 75% being low income, the Supreme Court has created the conditions for a patchwork of laws that will permit the wealthy and well-resourced to access abortions while those who most need them will not have the basic liberty of bodily autonomy, and likely will be saddled with deeper economic precarity, increased rates of maternal death, and lower likelihood of educational attainment.
The majority opinion held that it is time to “return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” However, in so many states, including Ohio, politicians are not governing in accord with most of their constituents’ beliefs. Survey after survey shows that most Ohioans believe that abortion should be legal all or most of the time. Gerrymandering, attacks on voting rights, and one-party rule has made accountability, even for criminal activity, unattainable.
As of publication, abortion care is still legal in Ohio. There are many people, organizations, and leaders working to ensure that the laws that govern Ohio are laws that reflect the vision and values of Ohioans, including Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio; Pro-Choice Ohio; Women Have Options, and Fair Districts Ohio.
The work to make Ohio an inclusive, equitable, sustainable, and vibrant place for all does not stop with this decision, it only increases the urgency.