The Toledo Catholic Diocese took a stand against a proposed Toledo city ordinance that would provide funds to transport women seeking abortions out of state.
The resolution, sponsored by Councilmembers Nick Komives, Theresa Gadus, and Michele Grim, calls for the appropriation of $100,000 from the COVID relief money provided to the city through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) taxpayer dollars intended to address the public health and negative economic impacts of COVID-19.
“Using funds allocated for COVID recovery to enable the taking of innocent lives and the harming of mothers and their children is both unjust and immoral,” Bishop Daniel E. Thomas (pictured above) wrote.
The “emergency” measure states that the ordinance “is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, and property” and “must be immediately effective in order to provide financial assistance to Toledoans seeking reproductive health care services.”
“This would provide assistance to Toledoans who need practical support who need to travel to seek abortion care or if they are seeking it here and need practical support like childcare. Health care is a fundamental right, and we are making sure people can access what they are legally allowed,” Grim said.
Thomas said that using recovery funds for abortions is counterintuitive.
“Since abortion is not ‘health care,’ it is counterintuitive that recovery funds would support the killing of the most vulnerable members of our society. As St. John Paul II writes, ‘“Causing death” can never be considered a form of medical treatment … it runs completely counter to the health care profession, which is meant to be an impassioned and unflinching affirmation of life,’” Thomas said.
The city would appropriate the money to the Agnes Reynolds Jackson Fund or “Aggie Fund,” a left-leaning nonprofit organization that provides patient transportation for abortions declaring its purpose is to make terminating pregnancy financially affordable and to keep abortions legal.
The Center for Christian Virtue (CCV), a Christian public policy group, has also said that the proposal misuses taxpayer dollars.
“It’s hard to imagine a more gross abuse of taxpayer dollars. The federal government provided these funds to help cities recover from the devastation of COVID closures. With all the Toledo residents have dealt with over the last two years, it’s a new low for the Council to consider giving these funds to fuel liberal, pro-abortion advocacy organizations,” Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue, said.
Thomas said that the Church “stands ready” to support women in need and specifically noted the U.S. bishops’ pro-life initiative Walking With Moms in Need which helps women obtain free support through pro-life pregnancy centers.
“It is our responsibility as faithful servants of God to spearhead legislation to make it easier for mothers and fathers to flourish economically so they can provide a loving and thriving home for their families,” Thomas said.
The abortion environment in Ohio remains in flux after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade which guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion earlier this year.
Ohio’s most recent law, Senate Bill (SB) 23, sponsored by State Senator Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), which prohibited the majority of abortions after six weeks of gestation, briefly went into effect. Still, a Hamilton County Judge has since placed it on hold.
It remains to be seen if the Toledo city ordinance will pass.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Bishop Daniel E. Thomas” by Bishop Daniel E. Thomas. Background Photo “Toledo Skyline” by MrJacon000. CC BY-SA 4.0.
