Pro-abortion activists across the country organized “Stop the Bans” rallies on Tuesday, several of which occurred in Ohio.
In Columbus, protesters lined the streets outside of Gov. Mike DeWine’s office, chanting: “Keep abortions safe and legal!”
Several protesting outside the governor’s office for the ‘Stop the Ban’ protest pic.twitter.com/kda5faqQpl
— Alexis Moberger (@alexis_moberger) May 21, 2019
The crowd later made its way to the Ohio Statehouse, where not too long ago a controversial “heartbeat bill” threw Ohio into the national conversation surrounding abortion.
Crowd continues to grow! Protest has now moved to the statehouse. Dozens here to protest against Ohio’s heartbeat bill. Similar abortion protests happening in several cities across the country pic.twitter.com/pQPBw8RbS3
— Alexis Moberger (@alexis_moberger) May 21, 2019
“It’s really important that women have the freedom to choose what to do with their own bodies,” one protester told ABC 6. “I hope that Governor DeWine is paying attention to this because women are his constituents too and he can’t ignore us.”
In Dayton, protesters gathered outside of a Premier Health clinic, which has apparently refused to sign a transfer agreement with a nearby abortion clinic.
“We are here today because so far Premier Health has refused to sign a transfer agreement with Dayton Women’s Med Center, which is the last remaining abortion clinic in the Dayton area. There isn’t another abortion clinic within 50 miles,” an organizer of the protest explained.
Later in the evening, protesters gathered in Cleveland Public Square, where protesters were pictured holding signs that said “politicians make terrible doctors” and “abortion is good, necessary and lifesaving.”
“On this national day of action, pro-choice activists in Cleveland will continue to draw attention to the importance of keeping safe, legal abortion care in our community,” NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Northern Ohio Field Organizer Hannah Servedio said in a statement. “None of us will have reproductive freedom until all of us do.”
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), who is seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, was spotted at a “Stop the Bans” protest on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.
https://twitter.com/LissandraVilla/status/1130894946460999681
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Abortion Protests” by Becker1999. CC BY 2.0.
