Ohioans react to Roe v. Wade reversal

From staff and wire reports

COLUMBUS – Reaction in Ohio to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion has been along party lines.

Note: This article will be updated as developments warrant. 

Friday morning’s ruling was cheered by Republicans and criticized by Democrats.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine called for a civil debate on the issue.

The high court ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years.

The decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.

A federal judge lifted an injunction that prohibited Ohio’s ban on abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat and DeWine signed an executive order Friday putting the so-called Heartbeat Law into effect immediately.

Various political figures and advocates on both sides of the abortion issue released statements within minutes of the announcement of the decision, which came more than a month after the stunning leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was preparing to take this momentous step.

“Today’s ruling is consistent with my view that policy questions regarding abortion should be decided by the elected representatives of the people, not the Supreme Court. Through its ruling today, the Court made this clear. The states already play a significant role in abortion policy, but have been constrained by various Supreme Court rulings. Now the issue of abortion will be decided by the states and the elected representatives closest to the people. While abortion is a very sensitive and emotional issue with strong feelings on both sides, I think most Americans agree that human life is precious and should be protected wherever possible. To that end, we should do more to work together in a bipartisan manner to promote adoption, reduce the number of abortions, and provide support for pregnant women in difficult circumstances.” -U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH)

“For fifty years, women in America had the right to make their own personal health care decisions. Today, five judges handed that right over to politicians. This will be the first generation of women to grow up with fewer rights and freedoms than their mothers and grandmothers, and this burden will be disproportionately carried by low-income women and women of color. This is a radical decision by an increasingly out-of-touch court, and Americans won’t stand for it. When, how, and whether to have a family is one of the most personal and meaningful decisions we make in life, and the freedom to make those decisions for yourself, free from political interference, should be available to everyone. The president and Congress must take action restoring protections for women to make their own health choices, and women will make their voices heard in voting booths around Ohio and the country this November.” -U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

“Today’s disastrous decision is the largest case of government overreach in my lifetime. By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court is gutting a long-established right in order to put politicians between women and their doctors. Even worse, this ruling gives the green light to those here in Ohio who have introduced legislation that would deny women access to potentially lifesaving care, and threaten to put women and doctors in jail.” -Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Youngstown), candidate for U.S. Senate

“I am 37 years old, and for my entire life abortion on demand—decreed by an unelected panel of judges—has been forced on the nation. Today is a great day. It vindicates a half century of work, and gives us an opportunity to live up our founding creed—that all of us are truly created equal.” -J.D. Vance, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate

“We all need to do our best to understand and respect the heartfelt, genuine differences of opinions among our families, friends, neighbors and communities. Being an adoptee who started life in a foster home, my own experience helped shape my views on this issue. I’m here today because my birth mother chose life and put me up for adoption, which I know could not have been an easy decision for her. My prayer for all of us is this collective experience will build a more compassionate nation that values life.” -Lt. Gov. Jon Husted

“Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of life and liberty. Our members have consistently defended the lives of babies yet to be born. We will continue to do so, as we evaluate what additional resources pregnancy centers and young families may need. I look forward to reviewing the specific details in the opinion, so that as we move forward, any legislation we pass in the Ohio Senate follows the guidance of the court, protecting life, and upholding the Constitution. Today, we celebrate a long overdue turning point in our nation’s history.” -Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima)

“The Supreme Court’s ruling strips women of our bodily autonomy and dignity, and completely alters what it means to be a woman or girl in America today. Eliminating the right to abortion doesn’t stop abortions – it only serves to stop safe abortions and is particularly oppressive to Black, impoverished, and working-class women. Forcing a woman to give birth is traumatizing and inhumane, especially for those who are pregnant as a result of abuse. Politicians have no place getting involved in such a personal decision that should be left to the individual and their health care provider.” -State Sen. Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo)

“This decision returns abortion policy to the place it has always belonged: to the elected policy branches of government. Roe was poorly reasoned, a doctrine of shifting sands that invited perpetual litigation.” -Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost

“Today’s decision is the direct result of Republican court-packing and a gift to the most extreme sect of the Republican party. The vast majority of Americans support the right to choose, reproductive rights, and access to safe abortions; however, the will of the American people has been overturned by a small handful of fundamentalists who believe in government-mandated pregnancies. A woman’s right to choose should be non-negotiable.” -Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Columbus)

“Today is a devastating day for women and girls in our country. This decision from a Supreme Court stacked with ultra-conservative justices paves the way for ultra-conservative, anti-women state legislatures across the country, including our own, to outlaw abortion. Abortions are health care.” -Mayor Andrew Ginther (D-Columbus)

“By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court has now officially given politicians permission to control what we do with our bodies, deciding that we can no longer be trusted to determine the course for our own lives. This dangerous and chilling decision can have devastating consequences in Ohio, forcing people to travel hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles for care or remain pregnant. Make no mistake – this decision goes beyond abortion. This is about who has power over you, who has the authority to make decisions for you, and who can control how your future is going to be.” -Iris Harvey, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio

Three of the court’s liberal justices wrote in a joint dissent that the decision would bring “sorrow” for the many millions of American women will be losing a “fundamental constitutional protection.”