As the Abortion Forward (formerly Pro-Choice Ohio) team announced our new name and identity in early June, we were also keeping a close eye on the US Supreme Court, in-state challenges against Ohio’s unfair abortion restrictions, the application of the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment, and the future of the movement. These considerations shaped the media coverage of our big announcement.
Read coverage from June 2024 below:
Jezebel: Abortion Ballot Measures Aren’t Safe From the Courts
In Ohio, “abortion is still very much on the ballot” in November, according to Kellie Copeland, executive director of Abortion Forward, formerly Pro-Choice Ohio. That’s because a federal ban “would supersede the work that has been done in Ohio and other states,” she said.
Without sustained action, Issue 1 will “be just a piece of paper,” she added. These fights are necessary, Copeland said, because otherwise, Issue 1 won’t do what Ohioans actually need, which is to ensure access to abortion locally. “They shouldn’t have to travel, they shouldn’t have to go through political restrictions or financial barriers. It’s basic health care,” she said. When Copeland says Issue 1 can’t just be a piece of paper, she’s invoking criticisms of Roe, and a related 1992 decision, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which reaffirmed but also weakened Roe by letting states pass restrictions before fetal viability as long as they didn’t amount to an “undue burden” on abortion seekers. “[Roe] wasn’t enough for many people, because of the Hyde Amendment [which banned federal funds being used for abortion], and because of all of the restrictions that made it difficult for people to access care.”
Ohio Statehouse News Bureau: Abortion advocacy group rebrands itself months after voters approve reproductive rights amendment
The executive director of the former Pro-Choice Ohio, Kellie Copeland, said the new name was chosen for a specific reason. “We chose the name Abortion Forward to really reflect and be clear that what we are working on is abortion access,” Copeland said. While Issue 1 as approved by voters in November includes a wider range of reproductive rights, Copeland said abortion is the part of it that is under the greatest attack.
“This is the area where over 30 restrictions have been passed since 2011, where we have lost half of our clinics,” Copeland said. “This is the area where people have been most harmed by the politicization of reproductive health care.” Copeland said her group will work to repeal those abortion restrictions in state law, such as the 24-hour waiting period.
Wall Street Journal: Abortion-Rights Advocates Deploy a New Red State Playbook
“We’re not on the defense anymore,” said Kellie Copeland, executive director of Abortion Forward, a state organization that recently rebranded from Pro-Choice Ohio. The state lost half of its clinics during the years of mounting restrictions, she said.
Ohio Statehouse News Bureau: How the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on abortion medication will affect Ohio
Abortion Forward Executive Director Kellie Copeland said the court’s ruling is good news for abortion rights in Ohio: “Over half of the people who access abortion in Ohio and other places elect to use medication abortion,” Copeland said.
WEWS: SCOTUS ruling on abortion pill could have ripple effect on Ohio
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the abortion pill mifepristone will remain available, but reproductive rights advocates — and opponents — aren’t stopping. This ruling could cause a ripple effect in Ohio.
Abortion rights advocates have had a successful year in the state. “There is this much bigger fight to fully restore federal protections for abortion rights, for access,” Kellie Copeland, executive director of Abortion Forward, said.
