Marion abortion opponents prepare for overturn of Roe v. Wade
As people on both sides of the debate about abortion await a decision on the issue from the United States Supreme Court, leaders of organizations in Marion County opposed to abortion say their basic mission will remain the same despite expected changes in legislation at the state level.
A draft majority opinion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, written by Justice Samuel Alito and leaked to news website Politico in early May, has sparked a firestorm of rhetoric from both sides in the debate about abortion in the U.S. The Politico article characterized Alito's opinion as "a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 (Roe v. Wade) decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights and a subsequent 1992 decision — Planned Parenthood v. Casey — that largely maintained the right."
The Roe v. Wade decision struck down many federal and state laws that either restricted or banned abortion entirely. Since then, the issue has been at the forefront of national politics. Based on data collected by the Guttmacher Institute and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 63.4 million abortions have been performed in the United States since 1973.
Barbara Mills, executive director of Voice of Hope Pregnancy Center based in Marion, said she fully expects to see "a dramatic change when Roe v. Wade is overturned."
"We are confident that Ohio is a pro-life state and we will see legislation follow through with that limiting abortions even more," Mills said. "Not 100% sure what to expect, but we're pretty confident that things will change."
Gov. Mike DeWine said earlier in May that if Roe v. Wade is overturned, Attorney General Dave Yost will request that a federal judge lift the stay on Ohio's "heartbeat bill" that was passed in 2019. That legislation bans abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which in some cases can be as early as six weeks after conception.
Ohio lawmakers are also considering what's being called a "trigger law" which would ban all abortions as soon as Roe v. Wade is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. The "trigger law" makes no exceptions for rape or incest.
More: Ohio won’t pass abortion ban until after U.S. Supreme Court decision
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More: Abortion still legal in Ohio – for now – as country waits for U.S. Supreme Court decision
More: Some ready to outlaw abortion in Ohio if Roe v. Wade is overturned
Mills stated that she is seeing an increase in the number of women seeking information about the abortion pill (chemical or medical abortion). In light of that, Voice of Hope has ramped up its online presence resulting in what Mills said has been "a dramatic increase in the number of abortion-minded women contacting and communicating with us at Voice of Hope."
"For us as a pregnancy center, we are aware that we need to make sure that we are a presence and that we're there to help the women who are reaching out and that we're ready with information and support for them," she said. "Nothing changes as far as Voice of Hope is concerned with how we reach out in love to women who are thinking about having an abortion. We want to give them information and facts, but we do not want to scare them. We want to trust our truth and offer a judgement-free atmosphere.
"So regardless of where Roe v. Wade stands in our country, our position in that doesn't change. If a woman doesn't make the life choice, we lovingly let them know they're welcome back to be ministered to and loved on in their journey of restoration. And we have had those opportunities to provide care for women who have regretted their decision to have an abortion."
Mills said Voice of Hope Pregnancy Center, which also has locations in Bucyrus, Upper Sandusky, and Forest, offers a variety of free and confidential services including pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, pregnancy counseling, educational classes, a store with supplies for babies, and support for women who have had an abortion. For information, go to the Voice of Hope website www.yourpregnancyoptions.org.
Marion Citizens for Life leader Dale Claes said the group's members were encouraged by the news of Roe v. Wade possibly being overturned. The group has been involved in advocating for legislation to restrict abortion in Ohio as well as organizing local public awareness events such as the Life Chain Sunday each October.
Like Mills, Claes said he believes that the mission of organizations like Marion Citizens for Life and Voice of Hope will remain largely the same in a so-called post-Roe world.
"We will continue to get the message out that each child is a life from time of conception and not just a ball of tissue," Claes said. "From conception on it's a life and deserves protection, deserves respect. That's a battle that will continue. I think we also need to continue to come alongside pro-life advocates in states with more liberal abortion laws and try to support efforts to start turning those decisions back. There's work to be done."
According to the U.S. Supreme Court website, the justices have one more non-argument session scheduled in May and four sessions scheduled in June. There's been no word yet from the high court regarding when the decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization will be officially released.
Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion abortion opponents prepare for overturn of Roe v. Wade
