My patients suffered under near abortion ban. If Ohio GOP has way, they will again.

Dr. Kale Turner is an academic OBGYN practicing in Columbus. He takes great pride in providing the full spectrum of OBGYN care, including abortion care.

Yesterday, the anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court, should have mark 51 year of a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions.

But since Roe v. Wade was overturned nearly two years ago, politicians across our state and country have not stopped trying to pass dangerous abortion bans – and that includes every Republican running for Senate in Ohio.

This past November, Ohioans said loud and clear that politicians have no place making women’s personal decisions in doctor’s offices —like mine— by passing State Issue 1.

Although passing Issue 1 was a crucial step to overturning Ohio’s existing abortion ban and ensuring women and families can make their own healthcare decisions, our fight to protect reproductive rights isn’t over.

Abortion rights are not safe in Ohio.

That’s because every Republican running in the primary for Ohio’s Senate seat would support a national abortion ban — and that ban would supersede the protections now in Ohio’s constitution thanks to State Issue 1.

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As an OBGYN, I see patients throughout their lives, beginning in their teens and up into their nineties. I provide well-being exams, treat patients during pregnancy, offer contraceptive care, and am also an abortion care provider.

As a physician, advocating for my patients is one of the most important aspects of my job.

I take this responsibility very seriously.

My patients suffered under Ohio's near abortion ban

Unfortunately, I don’t need to imagine the dangerous results of a national abortion ban because I’ve already seen the consequences firsthand. My own patients suffered after Gov. Mike DeWine signed Ohio’s restrictive abortion ban which banned the medical procedure even in cases of rape or incest.

When Ohio’s abortion ban was in place, doctors had to ensure we weren’t at risk of breaking the law or losing our license while trying to fulfill our oath to provide care for our patients.

A national abortion ban would be even more dangerous and leave my patients with few or no options for receiving abortion care. The ban could also muddy the waters and slow treatment for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies by creating extra hoops for medical professionals to jump through.

Trust me, the last thing any patient wants is for their doctor to have their hands tied in a moment of crisis. But that ban would do that. A national abortion ban would make my patients less safe because politicians – instead of women, their families, their doctors – would have control over their healthcare decisions.

That would be devastating and life-threatening for women across the country.

Ohioans spoke loudly and clearly against dangerous bans last year. But this year, they’ll have to do so again by rejecting whoever is nominated to run against Sherrod Brown.

Otherwise, Ohioans risk their voices being overruled by politicians who want to make personal decisions for them by passing a national ban.

Make no mistake: A national abortion ban is the end goal for politicians like Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose, and Matt Dolan.

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J.D. Vance even admitted this, saying the quiet part out loud: “We can’t give in to the idea that the federal Congress has no role in this matter…”

Vance couldn’t be more wrong. And his words show that these politicians are out-of-step with the majority of Ohioans.

On what would have been the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I have a message for my fellow Ohioans: Our job is not over. Our rights are still at risk. And Ohio’s senators could very well determine the future of reproductive rights across the country this year.

That’s why this November, we must defeat out-of-touch candidates like Moreno, LaRose, and Dolan who would mute our voices by voting for a national abortion ban.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 51 years after Roe| Moreno, LaRose, Dolan threat to Ohio abortion right