COLUMBUS, Ohio — On Wednesday afternoon, anti-abortion activists gathered at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus to call on legislators to end abortions.
What You Need To Know
- U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade earlier this year
- States now have the right to enact their own abortion laws
- Gov. Mike DeWine signed the "Heartbeat Bill" into law, making abortion illegal after fetal cardiac activity is detected
- Hamilton County Judge put a temporary block on the law
- Under the order, abortion remains legal through approximately 20 weeks in Ohio
This past June, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, in effect giving states the right to enact their own abortion laws.
Ohio's passed a ban on abortion after fetal cardiac activity is detected, at around six weeks, back in 2019. It went into effect after the Supreme Court decision, but a federal judge in Hamilton County has extended a temporary block on the law, meaning abortions through approximately 20 weeks can continue for now.
In response, anti-abortion activists in Ohio gathered for the inaugural “March for Life” rally.
Ruth Edmonds, with the Center for Christian Virtue, said with elections around the corner, this rally came at the perfect time
“We have the Ohio Supreme Court justices up for reelection, we have the Ohio General Assembly that’s up for reelection and they’re the ones that are going to determine whether or not we vote yes for a ban on abortion or no, so we have to come together, we have to make a stand,” said Edmonds.
More than 40 anti-abortion organizations came together to sponsor the event along with various churches and religious groups.
One attendee, Karissa Rutkowski, said faith has always been an influence in her life.
In college, Rutkowski got pregnant with her oldest son. She said that his life was the reason she was at the rally.
“It may have been hard to carry my baby to class every day and find sitters for him during the week, but I made it happen and I still graduated and he’s going to be 26 next month,” said Rutkowski. “Everybody says that it’s hard and it's (abortion) the only choice that a woman has, but if you have a good support system and a good faith in God, everything is possible.”
Rutkowski has since had four other children, including a daughter named Olivia.
Olivia, a high school senior, said it was important for her to be a voice for her generation and generations to come.
“Our generation is the future, we’re going to be the people to help end it (abortions),” said Olivia. “We’re going to help influence our younger generations, because we’re the people that it's affecting the most right now.”
There were no significant counter protests at Wednesday's march, but groups like Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio are encouraging people to register to vote in the November election. They are also reminding patients that their services are still in operation.