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With the ever-changing news cycle and plenty of content to doomscroll, feeling hopeless is valid, and embracing those feelings is okay. But there are plenty of exciting ways to lift your spirits and make a difference. How about crafting a “happy playlist” filled with your absolute favorite feel-good songs? Let those tunes turn your day into a mini celebration, no matter where you are.

Or try your hand at art therapy—grab some paints or markers and let your creativity run wild on paper. It’s all about letting those emotions out in a vibrant, colorful way. For a bit of advocacy magic, look into volunteering with Abortion Forward and make a direct impact on abortion access. Find like-minded community at our monthly Happy Hour sessions across Ohio. You could also be a part of Patients to Advocates, a paid, 9-month leadership development program that prepares Ohioans who have had abortions for civic engagement around reproductive health, rights, and justice!

Combining these joyful self-care activities with impactful advocacy can give you a powerful sense of purpose and show you just how much positivity you can bring to the world, even on the toughest days.

Are you looking for a safe place to unwind and meet other folks in your community who are also pro-abortion? Join us for a Repro Happy Hour!

Over the past several months, the team at Abortion Forward has hosted ten Repro Happy Hours – from Akron to Dayton, we’ve been all over the great state of Ohio visiting fun local bars and meeting great folks like you. These events have brought organizers, students, teachers, and activists together to connect and form a community.

Whether you’re looking for more pro-abortion friends, to network with other progressive folks, or just need a safe space to laugh and relax, Repro Happy Hours are the place for you. Hope to catch you at the next one!

Last November, Ohioans voted to enshrine reproductive freedom in our state constitution. Ever since this victory, many of us have been asked, what is there left to do?  

“Since abortion is legal, isn’t your work here done?” 

No! Of course not! Although our win was monumental, there is still so much work to do to ensure that all Ohioans have equitable, stigma-free abortion access.  

Ohio still has many medically unnecessary barriers in place that intentionally make it more difficult for folks to get the care they need in a timely manner, including the 24-hour waiting period that our friends at the ACLU of Ohio and Planned Parenthood are currently in court to overturn.

Under anti-abortion governors Kasich and DeWine and their countless restrictions and TRAP laws (targeted restrictions on abortion providers), the majority of Ohio’s clinics were forced to shut their doors and in 2024, our state only has *9* abortion clinics remaining. This has resulted in patients having to wait days or even weeks, or in some cases having to flee to nearby legal states to get the care they need.

In case that wasn’t enough to convince you, our state legislature continues to provide millions ($7 million in 2024 alone) of dollars to anti-abortion centers, or “CPCs”. CPCs are unregulated “medical” facilities that exist to spread fake information and discourage folks from having abortions – and our state government bankrolls them to do exactly that. 

As you can see, we still have lots of work to do! These examples barely touch the surface of anti-abortion debauchery that exists in this state and Ohio’s anti-abortion politicians continue to enact horrendous legislation that takes away the bodily autonomy of Ohioans. It’s up to us to stop them. So how do we do that? 

Volunteer with us! 

Join us in the never-ending fight for abortion access in Ohio. We have many volunteer opportunities coming up! Help us spread the word at a community event or festival and have real, stigma busting conversations. Or join a phone/text bank or door canvass and help us elect pro-abortion candidates to all levels of government. 

Find different volunteer opportunities on our event page! More are added all the time so check back periodically: https://abortionforward.org/take-action/events/ 

Have an event idea? What to get more involved and don’t know where to start? Reach out to your local field organizer and we’d be happy to talk to you! 

Mya Ray (they/them), Northern Ohio – mya@abortionforward.org 

Aubrey Crabb (she/her), Central and Southern Ohio – aubrey@abortionforward.org  

Abortion is not a dirty word. And when we treat it like one, we harm women. It’s time for politicians to get out of women’s doctors’ offices, and focus on the things that will protect our communities. pic.twitter.com/TG42XGr1wR

— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) July 19, 2024

This abortion section in Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s speech at the Ohio Dem’s Family Reunion event on July 13 was so spot-on that our staff got texts during it asking if we wrote it for him. We did not. He understands the issue better than any other male elected official we’ve ever heard discuss it.

Take notes, guys. This is how it’s done.

“This is her. This is Kellie. She was key to the ballot initiative!” — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talking to New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker with Sen. Sherrod Brown

Last weekend, the Ohio Democratic Party recognized the hard work of everyone who worked on the 2023 Issue 1 abortion rights ballot initiative. They presented the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Award to Kellie Copeland on behalf of the Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights coalition. Abortion Forward Executive Director Kellie Copeland served as the treasurer of the OURR coalition.

Kellie Copeland accepting the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Award, joined by PPAO VP Lauren Blauvelt.

At a reception before the program, Kellie met with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who is a proponent of abortion rights work at the state level. The team at Pritzker’s organization, Think Big America, worked closely with Kellie and the campaign throughout 2023. At the event, Pritzker made a point to introduce her to New Jersey Senator Cory Booker.

Kellie and Gov. Pritzker

Of course, we were thrilled to see our favorite Ohio reproductive rights champion, Congresswoman Emilia Sykes. There’s no better example of a public servant committed to defending her constituents.

Kellie and Rep. Sykes