Abortion Forward

Did you know that birth control wasn't officially available for use as a contraceptive until *May 9, 1960*?

Before FDA approval, there were few "official" options to prevent unwanted pregnancy: the "pull-out" method, the precursor to modern diaphragms, or abstinence, full stop.

Like so many other rights we sometimes take for granted, our modern day access to contraceptives is little more than 60 years old - and built on the backs of Black and brown communities.

When Republicans talk about abortion bans, restricting contraceptive access, and vote against protecting IVF, they're talking about undoing progress that was literal decades in the making.

We deserve better than that.

JD Vance wants to ban all abortions in America. Period.
He is unfit for public office. He does not belong in Congress or the White House. Voters do not support his extremist agenda to end reproductive freedom.

Where JD Vance stands on abortion, based on 6 of his statements Trump’s running mate once expressed support for a national abortion limit, but as the VP announcement approached, he emphasized that states can make their own policies.

🗣️ CLEVELAND! Swing by Happy Dog on July 24th for another Repro Happy Hour with Abortion Forward!

Have a drink (or two), cram as many toppings on your hot dog as possible, and relax with some like-minded folks from your community ✨

Haven't gotten your hands on one of our new shirts yet? We've got you covered 👍🏽 RSVP at abortionforward.org/rhh or at the link in our bio

🚨COMMISSIONERS MEETING🚨

Join us tomorrow at 6PM for the commissioners meeting. IF you would like to speak, we recommend showing up at 5:30PM OR EARLIER, in order to sign up. Brian Moody's family needs your support more than ever. Please show and demand justice and accountability for the murder of Brian Moody.

In Solidarity,
OFUPAC

No matter how they twist it or try to 'soften' their stances, the goal of the Republican party remains clear: chip away at abortion access across the country until they have enough power to implement a nationwide abortion ban.

A Trump-Vance presidency would have a catastrophic, lasting impact on the world of abortion rights, bodily autonomy, and reproductive health.

Read our full statement at abortionforward.org/press-release/trump-taps-jd-vance-for-his-vice-presidential-nominee/

At the Family Reunion, our Kellie Copeland accepts the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Award with Lauren Blauvelt on behalf of the Issue 1 campaign to enshrine abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution!

DAYTON! We're back in your neck of the Ohio woods for another Repro Happy Hour on Wednesday, July 24th at Yellow Cab Tavern!

Come hang out if you enjoy:
✅ Trivia
✅ Pizza
✅ Building pro-abortion community

Didn't snag a shirt during Pride? We've got you covered 🥰 RSVP at abortionforward.org/rhh

Donald Trump's lies about abortion access don't line up with his actions, point blank.

❌ Like Ohio's own Gov. Mike DeWine, Trump claims to believe in abortion ban exceptions, yet the policies created under his administration have resulted in a "state-by-state patchwork of varying abortion laws" that abortion seekers are still struggling to navigate to this day.

❌ While Trump was in office, he packed the Supreme Court of the United States with ultra-conservative, anti-abortion judges who soon overturned Roe and threw abortion providers and advocates into absolute chaos.

Though Trump has repeatedly bragged about his efforts to chip away at abortion access, he's now trying to back peddle and soften his stance in an effort to appeal to voters - because he knows, just like his fellow Republicans do, that most Americans support abortion access and bodily autonomy.

When a liar shows you who they are, believe them.

Read Abortion Forward Executive Director Kellie Copeland's (she/her) recent op-ed in the The Columbus Dispatch at www.abortionforward.org/the-latest/blog/ 🔎

In a new op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch, Abortion Forward Executive Director Kellie Copeland called out Donald Trump for four specific lies on abortion in the first 2024 Presidential Debate. We break down all his bu****it on our blog with links to Kellie's column, too. Check it out!

Trump is stealing DeWine's losing playbook - Abortion Forward In a new op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch, Abortion Forward Executive Director Kellie Copeland called out Donald Trump for four specific lies on abortion in the first 2024 Presidential Debate. First, Trump claimed to support exceptions in abortion bans for r**e and in**st. Copeland countered: When a p...

"Donald Trump misled voters during the first 2024 presidential debate when he tried to establish his position on abortion. ... No one wants Donald Trump in their gynecologist’s examination room. His policies don’t belong in there, either. Let’s all admit that the liar is still lying and keep him out of the White House."
— Kellie Copeland, executive director of Abortion Forward (formerly Pro-Choice Ohio) in a new op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch

Trump's rambling about abortion full of lies. Actions speak louder than debate falsehoods. Guest column: Rambling Donald Trump lied, lied and lied about abortion during his debate with President Joe Biden.

🌈 2 Repro Happy Hours, over 10 Pride festivals, 1 ComFest weekend and countless one-on-one conversations later, the team at Abortion Forward had so much fun spending this Pride season with you!

From sharing your personal journeys and stories with us, to getting down to the root of why we became Abortion Forward, Ohio really showed us the love last month and our entire team could not be more grateful for your continued support 🥰

Did you miss us this June? No worries - we'll be at a few Pride's near you in August! Keep an eye on AbortionForward.org for more 💜

We need your help. Sign the petition demanding that the Montgomery County Sheriff's office turns over the investigation to the BCI. We also demand the release of the full body camera footage, not the edited version that was released earlier. Lastly, we demand that they release the names of the officers involved in the shooting.

For far too long, officers have been able to act as the judge, jury, and executioner, while having their identity shielded. Enough is enough; we want justice, we want accountability, and we want it now! Click the link to sign the petition below.

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/brian-moody-yet-another-one-of-our-kids-is-gone/

You can also Donate to the family's gofundme here: https://gofund.me/287c70c3

We had a great time in Toledo! Thanks to everyone who came out, including friends from always amazing and the !

Come hang out with us and some of our pro-abortion faves this weekend 😍

It's the end of June, which means it's Community Festival time! Catch AFO, Abortion Forward, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, and Ohio Women's Alliance at Goodale park this Friday through Sunday ❤️‍🔥

When courts block abortion restrictions and bans, they open the clinic doors for patients to access critical care. There’s no room for Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to interfere in this process.

Contact your Ohio lawmakers immediately to demand they vote no on House Bill 301 ▶️ www.legislature.ohio.gov

Did you know that crisis pregnancy centers, more accurately referred to as anti-abortion centers, already receive millions of dollars each year from the state of Ohio? In fiscal year 2023-2025, CPCs in Ohio received more than 14 million dollars - that is an insane amount of state funding to invest in centers that have been proven to mislead and deceive the people they lure through their doors.

But it gets worse! Today, Senate Bill 159 will have its third hearing. If passed, Senate Bill 159 will allow people who donate to anti-abortion centers to claim income tax credits - and could cost the state $10 million

Call Senate Finance Committee Chairman Dolan's office at 614-466-8056 and tell him no more hearings on Senate Bill 159!

Want to learn more about CPCs in Ohio? Check out our 2023 Columbus CPC report at AbortionForward.org/resources

In the 2 years since Roe fell and Ohio's six-week abortion ban temporarily went into effect, the landscape of abortion access in Ohio has shifted dramatically. Thanks to dedicated voters like you, the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment is now a reality - but that's only step one in our ongoing fight for abortion access without barriers.

Read Abortion Forward Executive Director Kellie Copeland's (she/her) full statement at abortionforward.org/press-release/two-years-after-dobbs

On The Spectrum from NBC4: “We really have to make sure that that amendment, the Reproductive Freedom Amendments, doesn’t become just a piece of paper,” Abortion Forward’s Jamie Miracle said.

The Spectrum: Abortion debated; housing for former inmates COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – This week on The Spectrum: Nearly two years after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and with Ohio’s abortion rights amendment approved by voters, advocates on both sides said …

"It was heartening for all of us, frankly, after years of being gaslit by our opponents who were saying Ohio doesn't support abortion access," said Kellie Copeland, executive director of Abortion Forward, which was previously called Pro-Choice Ohio.

"If a federal abortion ban were passed, that would supersede all of the work that more than a million Ohioans did," Copeland said. "I'm not talking about the voters. I'm talking about people who signed a petition, who volunteered, who gave money, who knocked on a door."

Abortion politics: Can Ohio Democrats seize momentum from 2023 win or will Trump trump all? Ohioans voted for abortion rights in 2023. Can Democrats capitalize on that momentum or will Republican Donald Trump trump all other issues?

As the Abortion Forward (formerly Pro-Choice Ohio) team announced our new name and identity in early June, we were also keeping a close eye on the US Supreme Court, in-state challenges against Ohio’s unfair abortion restrictions, the application of the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment, and the future of the movement. These considerations shaped the media coverage of our big announcement.

Read coverage from June 2024 on our blog:

Media coverage from the Abortion Forward launch - Abortion Forward As the Abortion Forward (formerly Pro-Choice Ohio) team announced our new name and identity in early June, we were also keeping a close eye on the US Supreme Court, in-state challenges against Ohio’s unfair abortion restrictions, the application of the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment, and the ...

Can you imagine an Ohio with FIFTY FIVE abortion clinics? It seems impossible given the access crisis that we live in, but it's true!

Just a few short decades ago, Ohio had more than 6 times as many clinics as we do now. This major shortage in clinics means patients face longer wait times, more travel, and ultimately higher costs.

In the Wall Street Journal: “We’re not on the defense anymore,” said Kellie Copeland, executive director of Abortion Forward, a state organization that recently rebranded from Pro-Choice Ohio.

Abortion-Rights Advocates Deploy a New Red State Playbook After Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment, the movement’s lawyers are citing it to challenge state restrictions on the procedure.

Happy Juneteenth!

As the struggle for Black liberation in Ohio and beyond continues, the team at Abortion Forward remains committed to honoring, uplifting, and celebrating the resilience and lived experiences of Black people, while supporting and following their leadership - past, present, and future.

Listen to and make space for the Black people in your communities.

Support and donate to the Black-led organizations right here in Ohio who have been working non-stop to combat anti-Blackness in this state:

BQIC
The Freedom BLOC
JUST - Justice, Unity, & Social Transformation
Motherful Columbus
People's Justice Project
People Feeding People Akron (https://linktr.ee/pfpakron)
New Voices for Reproductive Justice
Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change
Ohio Women's Alliance
ROOTT

😍 Our incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectacular organizers Mya (they/them) and Aubrey (she/her) had a ton of fun last weekend at Kettering Pride and Mx. Juneteenth!!

We've got a little under two weeks of Pride month left - don't miss the chance to celebrate! 💜 Check out our events page at abortionforward.org to find a Pride festival happening near you!

🏳️‍🌈 Fairborn Community Pride: June 21, 5 - 9 PM, Downtown Fairborn

🏳️‍🌈 Youngstown Pride: June 22, 12 - 6 PM, Phelps Street

🏳️‍🌈 Granville Pride: June 22, 4 - 7 PM, Lamson Lodge

🏳️‍🌈 Yellow Springs Pride: June 29, 11 AM - 5 PM, Downtown Yellow Springs

When does 24 hours actually equal a week? When it's Ohio's 24-hour waiting period.

There's NO medical reason for this arbitrary wait time—it exists solely push folks out of accessing abortion. They create longer wait times, then patients' gestation increases, then costs increase, and the cycle continues.

The good news? There's lawsuit challenging these massive barriers to abortion care in Ohio!https://open.osu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/An-Assessment-of-Burdens-May-2024.pdf

✨🌈 Today is the day!!

Nearly a month after Ohioans overwhelmingly voted to add and protect abortion access in our state constitution, Issue 1 finally goes into effect today!

This is yet another historic moment for abortion rights in Ohio, and across our country. Thank you to every volunteer, staff member, and supporter who made this victory possible - we couldn't have done this without you!

We hope you'll join us tonight for a happy hour celebration at St. James Tavern - more info at secure.everyaction.com/_FCRm-cfxEeKYpEDIHCGPg2

📸: Katie Forbes Photography

📣TAKE ACTION - PROTECT TRANS YOUTH. 🏳️‍⚧️

🗓️This Wednesday at 3pm, the Senate Government Oversight Committee will have a hearing on HB 68, legislation that would ban critical, gender-affirming healthcare for trans minors.

🚨STOP THIS BILL! https://ow.ly/4rte50QfbjH

On Thursday, December 7th, Issue 1 will officially be part of the Ohio Constitution!

Join us for a laid-back happy hour as we commemorate the collective efforts that safeguarded the right of every Ohioan to access comprehensive reproductive healthcare, including abortion.

Let's raise a toast to a future marked by our continued progress in the fight for reproductive rights 🍻

December 7th, 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
St. James Tavern, 1057 N 4th St, Columbus, OH 43201
RSVP: https://secure.everyaction.com/_FCRm-cfxEeKYpEDIHCGPg2