Pro-Choice Ohio is now Abortion Forward
Press Release | May 30, 2024
Ohio’s dedicated reproductive rights advocates rebrand and looks to future following passage of pro-abortion ballot initiative
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Today, we are thrilled to announce the next chapter for Pro-Choice Ohio as we become Abortion Forward. Our 501(c)(3) arm is now Abortion Forward Alliance. Last year, Pro-Choice Ohio was a central member of the coalition that worked with nearly 1 million Ohioans to win an overwhelming victory in the Ohio abortion rights ballot initiative.
The dedicated team at Abortion Forward will continue to be led by Executive Director Kellie Copeland, and is excited to continue its organizing, advocacy, and electoral work to move Ohio forward. Copeland has served as Executive Director of Pro-Choice Ohio since 2002 and was the treasurer of the Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights ballot initiative campaign.
Kellie Copeland said: “Together, Ohioans scored a historic victory for reproductive freedom, but the work doesn’t stop there. For Ohioans to have real access to abortion we must have a Supreme Court of Ohio that upholds the promise of the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment. This fall, Ohioans will take back the court so that the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment does not become just a piece of paper. The dignity of every person must be valued. Abortion must be accessible locally without stigma. Financial and political barriers must be removed from Ohio’s laws.”
Abortion Forward Deputy Director Jaime Miracle, who has been with the organization for 20 years, is continuing as the organization’s primary policy expert and chief lobbyist in the Ohio Statehouse.
On the importance of the Supreme Court of Ohio races, Jaime Miracle said: “This fall, voters can flip the court to a reproductive freedom majority. That’s why Abortion Forward is running an aggressive voter education campaign, to make sure Ohioans know that abortion is on the ballot again, this time in the form of state supreme court justices. Abortion Forward is committed to educating voters about the importance of judicial elections to ensure that ALL Ohioans have access to the reproductive healthcare they need.”
Advocates in the Buckeye State must also protect the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment from efforts to enact a federal abortion ban that would override it.
On Ohio’s 2024 race for the US Senate, Copeland said: “Anti-abortion forces are hell bent on passing a national abortion ban that would destroy state protections on abortion access including Ohio’s Reproductive Freedom Amendment. We must elect pro-choice candidates to the White House, Congress, and US Senate to protect our families. We cannot allow anti-abortion extremists to plunge our state and nation into a crisis that will have a devastating impact, not only on those who need access to abortion care but our entire healthcare system.”
On the next chapter for Abortion Forward, Copeland concluded: “In the darkest days, this team never gave up. Now we are moving forward with new hope and a passion to build an Ohio that we are all proud to call home.”
Abortion Forward is an independent Ohio organization, we are no longer affiliated with NARAL Pro-Choice America (which recently rebranded as Reproductive Freedom for All).
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