CLEVELAND — Reaction is coming in from Ohio leaders after a draft ruling from the United States Supreme Court surfaced that could ultimately overturn Roe v. Wade, a case that legalized abortion nationwide.
Below is a list of reactions from various leaders throughout Ohio who have issued formal statements on the situation, which we will update as more come in...
Rep. Marcy Kaptur
For nearly half a century, the law of the land has acknowledged that there is no more personal decision that that of pregnancy. I am deeply concerned by the ongoing attempts to roll back women’s rights and disregard established precedents that could impact the fundamental freedoms of many. If the Supreme Court were in fact to overturn Roe v. Wade, it would further invite state legislatures with partisan agendas to interfere in one of the most important and private decisions a woman can make. Women and their doctors – guided by faith, family, and circumstance – must be allowed to make these difficult decisions. In an already polarized and divided nation, politicians and the Court must stay out of the way.
Sen. Sherrod Brown
This is exactly where we feared that decades of politicians’ attacks on women’s health would lead, and why it’s so important people speak out now. Overturning Roe would take away women’s most personal decisions and hand them over to politicians. We don’t know whether this opinion will become the court’s decision, but we need to act now and pass legislation to protect Americans’ right to make their own private health care choices.
Rep. Shontel Brown
If the reports prove accurate, the Supreme Court is poised to take direct aim at the rights and lives of women and decades of settled law. Overturning Roe would strip fundamental human and constitutional rights from millions of women, including in Ohio where the legislature is considering new laws that would threaten a woman’s right to choose. These restrictions would be particularly devastating for low-income women and women of color, who already face countless obstacles to health care.
We cannot allow this to happen—and here’s the truth: most Americans agree. In Ohio and across the country, there is overwhelming support for leaving Roe’s protections intact. In this critical moment, the Senate must codify Roe v. Wade by passing the House-passed Women’s Health Protection Act.
Rep. Tim Ryan
Ending the right to a legal abortion doesn’t mean that abortions will end. It means that access to safe abortions for poor and working class women will end. We cannot let that happen. We cannot turn back the clock.