Even before Roe v. Wade collapsed in 2022, abortion rights advocates were tired of circling the topic.
Around this time, Women Have Options celebrated its 30th anniversary, and with LGBTQIA+ community partners and specific goals in mind, a recent name was born: Abortion Fund of Ohio.
As a group with Black leadership and leadership that has had abortions, AFO board president Jordyn Close said the name change reflects the need to address and dispel the “deeply ingrained stigma” against people who have had abortions and those who they work for the right to abortion.
“There’s no point in trying to fight for something or alleviate the stigma around something while being afraid to say what we’re fighting for,” Close told the Capital Journal. “We will not get any closer to liberation by throwing people who have had abortions under the bus.”
This week, another group rebranded with a specific goal in mind. Like the Ohio Abortion Fund, Pro-Choice Ohio was seen frequently in the run-up to the ballot initiative that would become a recent amendment adding reproductive rights such as abortion to the state constitution. Its executive director, Kellie Copeland, was one of the speakers at the victory party on the night No. 1 was approved by 57% of Ohio voters.
In Thursday’s announcement, the group debuted a recent name: Abortion Forward, along with a nonprofit arm called Abortion Forward Alliance.
“What we’re really about is taking advantage of this opportunity and the success that our coalition has had in making the promise of the Reproductive Freedom Amendment a reality,” Copeland said. “It’s a brave new era and we really feel it.”
Copeland said the stigma around abortion “is perpetuated by euphemisms,” so changing the name of the support group clarifies “what we’re working on and what our work is about.”
“We found that when we talked to Ohioans… euphemisms weren’t necessary; people have not been hesitant to talk about abortion, and I think it’s very vital that they express themselves directly,” Copeland said.
It’s a shift in the reproductive rights movement that Close says is also happening in many other movements: eschewing subtlety and emphasizing the message with the name along with the action.
While normalizing the exploit of the word is a form of progress for the abortion rights movement, advocates say it is no longer enough. Ohio saw reproductive rights established in its constitution with the passage of House Bill 1 last November, but it also saw the Legislature look to pass measures that would reinforce at least some anti-abortion messages in state lawsuch as prohibiting funding that could go to people promoting or associated with abortion services, including Ohio municipalities.
Supporters’ eyes are now on the general election, where they believe the implementation of Issue 1 is still at risk when it comes to the executive branch of government: the judiciary.
Engaging voters
With three seats on the Ohio Supreme Court up for grabs, Close said voter turnout is an vital goal of their efforts, and Copeland said focusing on the state’s highest court as the final straw for any abortion-related litigation will be vital going forward .
“We are making sure Ohioans understand that abortion is still on the ballot this year,” Copeland said.
Abortion Forward has identified two other specific areas where the topic of abortion will play a key role: federal elections, including the presidential election and the U.S. Senate race in Ohio pitting incumbent Sherrod Brown against Bernie Moreno, and efforts to reform the transition process electoral districts in the state.
“Repealing (anti-abortion) laws would be a legislative process,” Copeland said. “But it’s not available to us at this time due to gerrymandering.”
The Abortion Forward leader said pushing a state ballot initiative that would turn the process into a citizen-led redistricting commission would thwart “rigged anti-choice legislatures.”
“The ability to change this, get rid of partisan gerrymandering once and for all, and create representative, accountable districts will be incredibly important in the future,” Copeland said.
These issues, and the possibility of a federal abortion ban that could undermine the state amendment, are key points for advocates who are calling for greater involvement in pro-abortion movements at the state and national levels.
Abortion clinics, such as Planned Parenthood Ohio affiliates and the ACLU of Ohio, are making efforts to eliminate some abortion laws through lawsuits. The Franklin County lawsuit seeks to remove from the Ohio Revised Code the 24-hour waiting period required for abortion care and the mandatory minimum of two in-person visits to a doctor before an abortion can be performed.
A lawsuit to lift the ban on telehealth abortion services is still pending in Hamilton County, as well as a separate lawsuit seeking to finally end the ban on abortions during the sixth week of pregnancy. Efforts that have been underway in one form or another since the law was passed in 2019
Supporters are also still waiting for the US Supreme Court’s decision in a case that will decide whether to change the regulations regarding the exploit of abortion pills.
Close, who is also deputy director of the Ohio Women’s Alliance, said there have been efforts throughout the year to engage voters and focus on making sure Issue 1 is implemented as supporters intended.
Last year, the Abortion Fund of Ohio funded $1.4 million for abortion-related causes and continues to exploit the services of “abortion storytellers,” those who have experience and are able to aid Ohioans through the process of finding information and services.
According to Close, AFO and OWA also exploit training and education that destigmatizes abortion as a way to reach out and inform the public.
“In my opinion at this point, just saying abortion is not enough, we need more than that to maintain bodily autonomy, we need to put our bodies at risk, we need to donate and show up,” Close said.
