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Should we re-elect Congresswoman Emilia Sykes to represent us in Washington, or should we elect Kevin Coughlin? Here in the 13th Congressional District, we have an important choice to make. The answer is clear.

As an advocate for reproductive freedom and abortion access, I’ve dealt with both of them when they served in the Ohio Legislature. Congresswoman Emilia Sykes has always been driven to build a community where everyone can thrive, and her support for access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare have been central to her work. In sharp contrast, Coughlin demonstrated a shocking disregard for the well-being of his constituents as he voted for every restriction on abortion and reproductive healthcare, regardless of the harm he knew they would cause.

Coughlin is clearly aware that he is out of step with the values of the 13th Congressional District which overwhelming voted for Issue 1 last year. When asked where he stands on abortion now, he has been evasive, refusing to talk to reporters. But his endorsement by Ohio Right to Life indicates he had no problem privately promising them that he would continue his record of voting to restrict and ban access to abortion.

Congresswoman Emilia Sykes has always fought against extremists like Coughlin. Following the recent US Supreme Court ruling that failed to enforce federal law requiring that hospitals treat patients in emergency situations, Emilia Sykes led the fight to push back and introduced a resolution to reaffirm access to emergency abortion care for all Americans.

This is literally a matter of life or death for people facing serious pregnancy complications in states that have banned abortion, and Congresswoman Emilia Sykes has their backs.

Emilia Sykes trust us to make our own decisions about abortion. Coughlin doesn’t. In fact, he is so cowardly he won’t even be straight with voters when asked where he stands.

Abortion access remains in serious jeopardy. Project 2025 and other plans by anti-abortion extremists call for a national ban on abortion that would supersede the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment.

I’m voting for Emilia Sykes, because I know that every vote she casts in Congress is a vote for the well-being of everyone in the 13th Congressional District and America. I hope you will join me.

For abortion, forever,

Kellie Copeland (she/her)
Abortion Forward Executive Director and lifelong Summit County resident

Across the country, the movement to codify reproductive rights as law is gaining momentum. Here are 10 states with initiatives up for a vote this November:

Arizona

The proposed legislation would ensure abortion access until viability and in instances necessary to protect the life, physical, or mental health of the patient.

Colorado

Abortion is already legal at all stages in Colorado, and the legislation coming up for a vote would enshrine the right in the state constitution as well as requiring Medicaid and private health insurance to cover abortions.

Florida

The proposal would protect access until viability and when needed to protect a patient’s health. Parental notification would remain a requirement.

Maryland

A broad reproductive freedom amendment has been offered that is inclusive of the right to abortion.

Missouri

The ballot measure on offer would give the right to abortion until a fetus could survive outside the uterus without extraordinary measures. It would also allow late abortions if needed to protect the life, physical, or mental health of the patient.

Montana

A constitutional amendment has been proposed to protect access to abortions until viability.

Nebraska

2 initiatives on the ballot. One would enshrine access until viability (or later to protect health) in the state constitution. The other would write the current 12-week ban into the constitution with exceptions for rape, incest, and life-saving measures.

Nevada

A potential constitutional amendment would ensure access for the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. It would also allow for later abortions to protect the health of the patient. It needs to be approved by voters twice, once in 2024, and again in 2026.

New York

A proposed measure would bar the state government from denying legal rights based on “pregnancy outcomes” and “reproductive healthcare”. This document does NOT include the word abortion anywhere in it.

South Dakota

The proposed legislation would disallow abortion bans during the first trimester, only allow regulation of abortions in the second trimester in relation to the health of the mother, and only allow bans in the third trimester if exceptions are given for life-threatening situations.

Tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered an excellent argument against the incredible damage that a second Trump administration could have on our nation’s reproductive health care police and abortion access in every state in America. This section represented the most in-depth and medically accurate discussion of abortion access ever delivered by any American nominee for president ever.

She said:

“Let’s understand how we got here. Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v Wade, and they did exactly as he intended.

“Now, in over 20 states, there are Trump abortion bans which make it criminal for a doctor or nurse to provide health care in one state. It provides prison for life. Trump abortion bans that make no exception, even for rape and incest, which — understand what that means — a survivor of a crime, a violation to their body, does not have the right to make a decision about what happens to their body next. That is immoral, and one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree.

“The government and Donald Trump certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body. I have talked with women around our country. You want to talk about ‘this is what people wanted.’? Pregnant women who want to carry a pregnancy to term, suffering from a miscarriage.

“Being denied care in an emergency room because the health care providers are afraid they might go to jail. She’s bleeding out in a car in the parking lot. She didn’t want that. Her husband didn’t want that. A 12 or 13 year old survivor of incest being forced to carry a pregnancy to term. They don’t want that.

“I pledge to you, when Congress passes a bill to put back in place the protections of Roe v Wade as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.

“But understand, if Donald Trump were to be reelected, he will sign a national abortion ban. Understand in this Project 2025, there would be a national abortion ban, a monitor that would be monitoring your pregnancies, your miscarriages. I think the American people believe that certain freedoms, in particular the freedom to make decisions about one’s own body, should not be made by the government.”

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And she concluded:

“I absolutely support reinstating the protections of Roe v Wade. And as you rightly mentioned, nowhere in America is a woman carrying a pregnancy to term and asking for an abortion. That is not happening. It’s insulting to the women of America. And I understand what has been happening under Donald Trump’s abortion bans. Couples who pray and dream of having a family are being denied IVF treatments.

“What is happening in our country working people, working women who are working 1 or 2 jobs, who can barely afford childcare as it is, have to travel to another state to get on the plane, sitting next to strangers to go and get the health care she needs and barely can afford to do it. What you are putting her through is unconscionable.

“That the majority of Americans believe in a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body. That is why in every state where this issue has been on the ballot in red and blue states, both the people of America have voted for freedom.”

Ohio has recently passed a law that directly impacts organizations like Abortion Forward, Abortion Forward Alliance, and Abortion Forward PAC, making it more challenging to carry out our mission of advocating for abortion access for all. This new law, passed by the manufactured anti-abortion majority in the Ohio House and Senate and signed by Governor DeWine, specifically targets groups engaged in political and ballot work, and it imposes strict regulations on the sources of our donations. It also grants exclusive power to the Attorney General to conduct investigations that will amount to fishing expeditions into how organizations are complying with this politically motivated law.

This new Ohio law directly attacks progressive political activity, including our endorsement process, candidate support, ballot initiative work, and PAC donations and expenditures. It places unnecessary burdens on political organizations, limits the participation of immigrants who are not citizens or legal permanent residents, and empowers the state to scrutinize our every move. However, with your support and vigilance, we can navigate these challenges and continue to fight for the rights and freedoms that all Ohioans deserve.

What You Can Do

As a supporter, your understanding and action are crucial. Here’s how you can help:

1. Certify Your Contributions: When making a donation, please be sure to check the new box on our website donation forms to certify that your funds are from a U.S. citizen, national, or legal permanent resident (Green Card holder), or from an entity that is domestically organized and operates primarily within the U.S. This certification is now a legal requirement for us to use your donation in our Ohio political work.

2. Stay Informed: Learn more about this law and its implications for our work. Knowledge is power, and understanding the challenges we face helps you better support our continued effort to make abortion accessible for all.

3. Spread the Word: Share this information with others who might not be aware of the new law and its impact on organizations like ours. The more people who know, the stronger our collective response can be.

4. Get Involved: If you have questions or want to know more, please get in touch with Kel McConaughey at 614-221-2594 ext. 406 or give@abortionforward.org.

Your support in meeting these new compliance measures is more important than ever. Make a certified donation to support our political work now.

Learn more about how this law affects our collective efforts to protect and expand abortion access in Ohio.

What the Law Does

The law mandates that we verify the source of all donations, ensuring that only contributions from U.S. citizens, nationals, or legal permanent residents (Green Card holders) are used for ballot initiatives and other political activities. Foreign nationals, are prohibited from contributing to or spending on Ohio candidates or ballot measures. This law also applies to funding for electioneering communications and contributions to political entities involved in Ohio elections.

How It Impacts Our Work

For Abortion Forward and similar organizations, this law creates a substantial new and politically administrative burden. We are now required to implement rigorous verification processes to ensure compliance, diverting time and resources from our primary mission—fighting for reproductive freedom. The law also empowers Ohio Attorney General David Yost to investigate any organizations involved in political or ballot work, increasing the risk of legal challenges and scrutiny, particularly for those supporting progressive causes like ours.

Why This Law is Problematic

The new regulations are not just about ensuring transparency in donations; they are part of a broader strategy to stifle progressive political activity in Ohio. By targeting groups that have successfully used ballot initiatives to advance rights and freedoms, this law is designed to make it harder for us to continue our work. It unfairly penalizes and stigmatizes non-citizen or legal permanent resident (aka Green Card holder) immigrants, , by barring them from supporting organizations that share their values and engage in the political process—this is a political stunt, not a genuine or necessary effort to protect election integrity.

Note to Foreign Nationals

We are appalled by this politically motivated and stigmatizing law that has targeted you and your families. We warmly welcome foreign nationals to continue supporting our vital work in education, outreach, and abortion stigma-busting. While the new law restricts your ability to support our political activities, your contributions are still essential in many other areas of our mission. To explore how you can get involved and make a difference, please get in touch with Kel McConaughey at 614-221-2594 ext. 406 or give@abortionforward.org. Your support is invaluable as we continue to advocate for reproductive freedom.

@abortionforward Don’t talk to us about Roe. Talk to us about permanently protecting the right to abortion. @ohiogabe @Kamala HQ @Pro-Choice Minnesota @Lizz Winstead #abortionrights #prochoice #reproductiverights ♬ MILLION DOLLAR BABY (VHS) – Tommy Richman

When Democrats campaign on reproductive rights in 2024, they should look at the law signed by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as a textbook example of what kind of federal protection we should be asking Congress to pass and President Kamala Harris to enact. It’s not restoring Roe.

What does the Minnesota law say?

Section 1. [145.409] REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS.
Subdivision 1. Short title. This section may be cited as the “Protect Reproductive Options
Act.”
Subd. 2. Definition. For purposes of this section, “reproductive health care” means
health care offered, arranged, or furnished for the purpose of preventing pregnancy,
terminating a pregnancy, managing pregnancy loss, or improving maternal health and birth
outcomes. Reproductive health care includes, but is not limited to, contraception; sterilization;
preconception care; maternity care; abortion care; family planning and fertility services;
and counseling regarding reproductive health care.
Subd. 3. Reproductive freedom. (a) Every individual has a fundamental right to make
autonomous decisions about the individual’s own reproductive health, including the
fundamental right to use or refuse reproductive health care.
(b) Every individual who becomes pregnant has a fundamental right to continue the
pregnancy and give birth, or obtain an abortion, and to make autonomous decisions about
how to exercise this fundamental right.
Subd. 4. Right to reproductive freedom recognized. The Minnesota Constitution
establishes the principles of individual liberty, personal privacy, and equality. Such principles
ensure the fundamental right to reproductive freedom.
Subd. 5. Local unit of government limitation. A local unit of government may not
regulate an individual’s ability to freely exercise the fundamental rights set forth in this
section in a manner that is more restrictive than that set forth in this section.

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Paid for by Abortion Forward. Not coordinated with any campaign or campaign committee.