Local March for Life marks anniversary of Roe v. Wade, recent decision overturning it

Christy Ballor said she had an abortion at age 16 at a Planned Parenthood facility.

"I would have never had it if I had not gone," said Ballor, a regional coordinator for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign anti-abortion group. She said the staff at the facility had encouraged her to terminate her pregnancy. "It would have never entered my mind. But I didn't want my parents to know I was sexually active."

Planned Parenthood centers provide health care for women who decide to have abortions as well as those who do not.

Ballor said she was told that once she had the procedure, she could move on with the rest of her life without thinking about the pregnancy. But she did think about it.

"I lived in silence for years, carrying the guilt and grief and not knowing how to deal with that," said Ballor, who lives in Alliance.

Ballor was among about 40 to 50 people gathered for the 2023 Summit County March for Life on Saturday, the day before the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that affirmed a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.

The event at Community Vineyard Church on State Road in Cuyahoga Falls was hosted by Right to Life of Northeast Ohio. The theme for both the local and the National March for Life was "Next Steps: Marching into a Post-Roe America."

Ballor was one of the marchers, carrying a sign stating, "I Regret My Abortion."

Abortions have trended down since 1973 Roe v. Wade decision

This year's march marked one key difference: Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022 in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The majority ruling declared that the decision on whether or not to ban abortion belonged to the individual states.

Abortion is currently legal in Ohio up to 21 weeks and six days into pregnancy. A state law passed in 2019 that would ban abortion at around the sixth week of pregnancy was placed on hold temporarily by the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas last year.

The Rev. Bob Schneider of The Chapel in Akron, who also serves on the boards of Right to Life of Northeast Ohio and Akron Pregnancy Services, said he felt the groups' efforts on reducing abortions have had an impact.

"In 1980, there were over 2,000 abortion clinics," Schneider said. "There were only about 300 pregnancy centers. Now, we have over 2,700 pregnancy health centers and there are a little more than 700 abortion clinics."

He added: "We are providing alternatives. We are providing services to help women in a difficult situation. We are making an impact."

At Akron Pregnancy Services, a faith-based, non-profit organization, those expecting a child under difficult circumstances can take parenting classes, pick up items like diapers, food and clothing, and access prenatal care. Furnishings also are available. The agency offers an abortion counseling group for women who have had an abortion and are struggling with that decision.

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That help is the key to lowering abortion rates, said one woman who participated in the march, who recently moved to Ohio. She asked her name not be used.

"I don't think they are choosing abortion," the woman said. "I think they are being coerced. We need to love the women, not just the babies. We need to love the women and the babies."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 620,327 abortions were performed in 2020, the last year where concrete numbers were available, according to a Jan. 11 article published by the Pew Research Center. That is down from more than 1.5 million abortions in 1991.

Another report from the Pew Research Center published on July 15 stated that 57% of adults disapproved of the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning Roe v. Wade, while 41% approved. In addition, 29% said abortion should be legal in all cases, and 33% said it should be legal in most cases. About 36% said abortion should be illegal in all or most cases.

Voices speak out on both sides of abortion debate

The march, which started at the church at around 9:30 a.m., went along State Road, stopping at Northeast Ohio Women's Center, which is a few blocks from the church and provides abortion and pregnancy services. The center is a common target of anti-abortion protests.

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Those in the march, ranging in age from infants in strollers to grandparents, then continued down State Road to Broad Boulevard before heading back to the church. The march was fairly quiet, with most of the participants holding signs and some saying prayers. Occasionally, someone would honk their horn as they drove by.

One man who stood before the clinic had a sign different from most of those in the parade, stating his support of women having the right to choose whether or not they wanted to go through with a pregnancy.

"I defended this nation and the Constitution for all people," said John, a Navy veteran, who asked that his last name not be used. In addition to abortion rights, John added that he felt birth control should be free and readily available, and that there should be comprehensive sex education in the schools.

"As an old white guy, I don't feel this is my choice," he said of abortion.

A staff member at the clinic, who was standing outside at the entrance with several others associated with the clinic, said medical services were not disrupted by the march.

"The patients inside are getting the medical care they need," said the staff member, who did not want to be named.

"The decision to have an abortion is extremely personal. That decision belongs to the woman and no one else."

Woman speaks publicly about her decision to have abortion

Ballor said the decision to have an abortion haunted her for many years. She said she tried to bury the memory and move on, but ultimately could not.

"I had a profound spiritual encounter when I was on the brink of committing suicide," she said, adding that she prayed. "He answered me with a love and peace I had never experienced."

That was the beginning of her faith journey, Ballor said. She went on to speak publicly about her experiences as a regional coordinator for Silent No More.

Ballor said she worked with a crisis line for about three years that helped those who had had abortions.

"I wish those in favor of abortion could take those 3 a.m. calls from women who have had an abortion, who are having nightmares," Ballor said. "Or the calls from girlfriends whose boyfriends are pressuring them to get an abortion. They did not feel they had any other options."

Ballor said one thing that helped her heal was a ceremony she participated in for her aborted child, whom she said she named.

"I do this for the babies," she said. "I think my son is proud of me, because I've turned my life around."

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Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: March for Life marks anniversary and end of Roe vs. Wade