Akron City Council approves resolution in support of abortion rights
Akron City Council approved a resolution Monday evening supporting "a woman's fundamental right to make basic, fundamental choices about her reproductive health" in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
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The resolution also expresses opposition to a ban on abortion in the state of Ohio after a fetal heartbeat is detected.
Two council members voted against the measure.
The resolution was sponsored by council President Margo Sommerville, Vice President Jeff Fusco and council members Nancy Holland, Shammas Malik, Tara Mosley and Linda Omobien.
"This is about standing for the 51% of Americans who lost everything that matters on Friday. This is about fundamental fairness. This is about basic equality," said Holland, who read an excerpt from the Supreme Court dissenting opinion:
"As of today the court holds that the state can always force a woman to give birth, prohibiting even the earliest abortions. The state can thus transform what when freely undertaken is a wonder into what, when forced, can be a nightmare."
She further quoted the dissent, which states that women of means will be able to "find ways around the state's assertion of power," while women of lesser means will seek dangerous, illegal abortions or bear children at significant personal cost.
"They will incur the cost of losing control of their lives," she quoted.
Malik said the Supreme Court ruling has already harmed women in the state and city, as the state's "fetal heartbeat" bill was enacted Friday.
"A bill that was unconstitutional when it was passed," he said. "At that point, at six weeks, women in Ohio are prohibited from having an abortion if a fetal heartbeat is detected — even if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest."
He suggested the city may look into providing support for employees who might need to travel out of state to seek abortions. He also questioned whether Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh would pledge to refrain from prosecuting violators of the state's abortion laws, as Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley has done.
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Two council members, Ward 2 Councilman Phil Lombardo, who did not comment, and Ward 9 Councilman Mike Freeman, voted against the resolution.
"On behalf of the 40 million babies that were never given the opportunity to be born, I vote no," said Freeman.
Eric Marotta can be reached at 330-541-9433, or emarotta@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarottaEric.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: After Supreme Court ruling, Akron council supports abortion rights
