Press Releases

Statement from Protect Choice Ohio

Columbus, OH — Statement from Dr. Lauren Beene, executive director of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights/Protect Choice Ohio regarding today’s vote by the Ohio House to place a “supermajority” amendment on an August 2023 special election ballot:

“We have never been distracted by the craven political maneuvering, hypocrisy, and lies that led to this power grab. Now that this sordid chapter in the history of the General Assembly is closed, we stand with the more than 240 organizations, former governors and attorneys general of both parties, and concerned citizens who vehemently oppose and will defeat this brazen attempt to end simple majority rule by the people of our state.

“The desperate plot to silence the voters will fail. We are confident Ohioans will defeat the anti-democracy amendment in August then pass our reproductive freedom amendment this fall.”

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About Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights and Protect Choice Ohio

Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights (OPRR) and its grassroots network, Protect Choice Ohio  (PCO) is a coalition of more than 2,000 Ohio physicians, allied medical professionals, business leaders and other non-partisan advocates that are mobilizing to ensure patients throughout Ohio have access to safe, legal, equitable, and comprehensive reproductive medical care including abortion for all Ohioans and to protect the doctor-patient relationship from government interference, so that people can make their own reproductive health care decisions. 

The Ohio Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Endorses Ohio Ballot Measure: The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety 

For Release: April 27, 2023

COLUMBUS – Today, the Ohio Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG Ohio) endorsed The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety, a ballot initiative that creates a common-sense standard to abortion policy in Ohio, protecting the reproductive freedoms of patients from government interference.  The proposed constitutional amendment would protect a right to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care with reasonable limits, and to keep extremist politicians out of Ohioans’ private and personal healthcare decisions.

“This common-sense amendment will restore and protect the vital reproductive rights that were guaranteed by Roe v. Wade for fifty years,” Dr. David Hackney, Chair of AGOG Ohio and Dr. Amy Burkett, the organization’s immediate past Chair said in a joint statement. “When Dobbs destroyed those rights and Ohio’s extreme abortion ban that does not include exceptions for rape, incest, or lethal fetal anomalies went into effect, the consequences were immediate and dire. The health and lives of patients across our state were put at risk and physicians faced the prospect of being arrested, charged, convicted of felonies, and jailed for providing standard, appropriate, evidence-based medical care. Enshrining reproductive freedom, including access to abortion, in the Constitution is the only way to ensure that this dangerous, intolerable scenario is never repeated in our state.”

“Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom celebrates this strong endorsement from the premier professional membership organization for obstetricians and gynecologists. Our amendment ensures that patients, not politicians, have the freedom to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions, including abortion, in consultation with their doctor rather than allowing extremists in the Ohio legislature to decide for them. Ohioans across the state are signing our petition to put this critical measure on the November ballot and this support from ACOG Ohio bolsters the momentum for our entire campaign,” offered Lauren Blauvelt, spokesperson for Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom.

“Earning ACOG Ohio’s support for and endorsement of our amendment is a landmark moment in our effort to enshrine reproductive rights and abortion access in the constitution,” said Dr. Lauren Beene, executive director of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights.  “For more than 60 years, this respected organization has established the practice and standards for OB/GYNs while advocating for patients and their families.  Their expertise and experience in reproductive health care is unrivaled and unchallenged and they will be  an invaluable source of reliable, unbiased, unimpeachable evidence-based information that will serve as a powerful counterpoint to the lies being spread by our opponents. We welcome them to OPRR and we look forward to working with this dedicated group of professionals as we strive to ensure that every Ohioan has access to comprehensive reproductive health care including abortion.”

 

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About Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights and Protect Choice Ohio

Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights (OPRR) and its grassroots network, Protect Choice Ohio  (PCO) is a coalition of more than 2,000 Ohio physicians, allied medical professionals, business leaders and other non-partisan advocates that are mobilizing to ensure patients throughout Ohio have access to safe, legal, equitable, and comprehensive reproductive medical care including abortion for all Ohioans and to protect the doctor-patient relationship from government interference, so that people can make their own reproductive health care decisions. 

Columbus, Ohio–The following statement was issued today by Dr. Marcela Azevedo, Dr. Lauren Beene, Dr. Nancy Li, and Dr. Aziza Wahby, executive leadership of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights regarding the Ohio Senate’s passage of SJR 2.

“By shutting down debate, denying concerned Ohioans the right to voice their objections to HJR1 and SJR2, and ramming the resolutions through House and Senate committees, anti-abortion lobbyists and their allies in the General Assembly sent a clear message: If we can’t win fair and square, we’ll change the rules after the game begins.

“The outrageous political maneuvers used today are obviously desperate attempts to stop the reproductive rights amendment by attacking our democracy and Ohio’s proud tradition of normal majority rule.

“Their proposal to raise the threshold for amending the constitution to 60% and schedule a costly multi-million dollar special election in August is a shameful power play intended to thwart the will of the vast majority of Ohioans who want to keep the government out of their most personal health care decisions.

“We are pleased that 225 respected organizations, including the League of Women Voters, are actively opposing this appalling scheme and we are confident it will be soundly rejected by the voters.

“And as we have said repeatedly, the underhanded and unjust tactics employed  by anti-abortion extremists energize our non-partisan grassroots campaign, reinforce our determination to gather the signatures we need to qualify for the ballot, and strengthen our resolve to restores and protect reproductive rights and abortion access by prevailing in the General Election.”

 

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About Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights and Protect Choice Ohio

Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights (OPRR) and its grassroots network, Protect Choice Ohio, is a coalition of more than 2,000 Ohio physicians, allied medical professionals, business leaders, and other non-partisan advocates that are mobilizing to ensure patients throughout Ohio have access to safe, legal, equitable, and comprehensive reproductive medical care including abortion for all Ohioans and to protect the doctor-patient relationship from government interference so that people can make their own reproductive health care decisions. Visit ProtectChoiceOhio.com for more information.

Columbus, OH — The following statement was issued today by Dr. Marcela Azevedo, Dr. Lauren Beene, Dr. Nancy Li, and Dr. Aziza Wahby, executive leadership of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights regarding the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that blocks implementation of a lower court order that revoked FDA approval of mifepristone:

“While we are relieved that mifepristone will remain available to doctors and patients for medication abortion and miscarriage management as the case makes its way through courts, we are deeply disappointed and dismayed by the 5th Circuit’s decision to restrict access to this scientifically proven, time tested, safe, and effective medication by allowing unwarranted restrictions on its use and distribution imposed by anti-abortion District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk to stand.

Decisions about reproductive health care should and must be made by patients and their physicians, not the anti-abortion lobby, extreme politicians or activist judges appointed by those politicians. That is why we have proposed a constitutional amendment that will enable Ohioans to determine the future of reproductive rights in our state.

Those who applaud federal and state court actions that ban or restrict abortion are the same people who oppose our ballot issue. They will not deter or prevent us or the vast majority of Ohioans who support us from enshrining reproductive rights and access to safe, legal abortion care in the Ohio Constitution.

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About Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights and Protect Choice Ohio

Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights (OPRR) and its grassroots network, Protect Choice Ohio, is a coalition of more than 2,000 Ohio physicians, allied medical professionals, business leaders, and other non-partisan advocates that are mobilizing to ensure patients throughout Ohio have access to safe, legal, equitable, and comprehensive reproductive medical care including abortion for all Ohioans and to protect the doctor-patient relationship from government interference so that people can make their own reproductive health care decisions. Visit ProtectChoiceOhio.com for more information.

CLEVELAND — The Academy of Medicine of Cleveland & Northern Ohio (AMCNO), an organization representing more than 6,000 Northeast Ohio physicians, today announced its support for The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health & Safety, a proposed state constitutional amendment backers plan to place on Ohio’s statewide general election ballot this November.

“We’re proud to join with Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights in an effort to secure access to reproductive health care for all Ohioans,” said Dr. Jonathan Scharfstein, AMCNO President. “As medical practitioners, we care deeply about the health and well-being of our patients, all of whom have different and unique circumstances and needs.”

“We have grave concerns with any policy that erodes the sanctity of the physician-patient relationship,” Scharfstein said. “Abortion bans violate long-established and widely accepted principles of medical ethics by substituting legislators’ opinions for a physician’s individualized patient-centered counseling.”

AMCNO also expressed concern with any policy that would impose criminal penalties upon physicians for acting in the best interest of their patients, saying that these laws force a physician to choose between their oath to do no harm and protecting their civil, criminal and financial livelihoods. Scharfstein noted that the American Medical Association (AMA) Code of Medical Ethics places on physicians the “ethical responsibility to place patients’ welfare above the physician’s own self-interest or obligations to others.”

“Abortion bans place physicians at the ethical impasse of choosing between providing the best available medical care and risking substantial penalties, or protecting themselves personally,” Scharfstein said. “This dilemma challenges the very core of the Hippocratic Oath: ‘Do no harm.’”

In its support for the proposed Ohio constitutional amendment, AMCNO cites the AMA principle stating, “it is a violation of human rights when government intrudes into medicine and impedes access to safe, evidence-based reproductive health services, including abortion and contraception.”

The group also has concerns about the ability for Ohio to properly educate future medical professionals.

“If Ohio bans life-saving medical procedures, it makes it impossible to teach these procedures and creates a troubling ripple effect:  If medical students cannot fully learn in Ohio, they will not come to school here, making them much less likely to train and practice here. Ohio risks losing OBGYN providers who are needed by all women in the state, if bans go into effect.”

AMCNO joins a growing coalition of physicians, allied medical professionals, business leaders and other non-partisan advocates that are mobilizing to ensure patients throughout Ohio have access to safe, legal, equitable, and comprehensive reproductive medical care including abortion and to protect the doctor-patient relationship from government interference, so that people can make their own reproductive health care decisions.

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Columbus, OH — The following statement was issued today by Dr. Marcela Azevedo, Dr. Lauren Beene, Dr. Nancy Li, and Dr. Aziza Wahby, executive leadership of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights:

“Federal District Court Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk substituted his fanatical opposition to abortion for the rule of law. His decision in the mifepristone case is outrageous, unwarranted, unsupported by both medical science and legal precedent, and puts the lives and health of Americans needlessly at risk. We urge the FDA, the Biden Administration, and the Department of Justice to take all steps necessary to ensure that mifepristone, which has been proven safe and effective during more than 20 years of use, remains available to patients in the United States.

“It is disappointing that Ohio was one of the 23 states that sided with the extremists who filed the lawsuit.

“This tragic and dangerous ruling coupled with the overall hostility to reproductive rights by government and politicians in Ohio serves as powerful reminders that amending the Constitution is the only way to guarantee safe abortion access in Ohio. We know this ill-conceived court decision will motivate Ohio voters to place the reproductive rights amendment on the ballot and to work even harder in the days and weeks ahead.

“At the same time, we applaud Federal Judge Thomas Rice of Washington state for ordering the FDA to ensure that mifepristone remains available in the 17 states and the District of Columbia that sought an injunction barring the agency from taking it off the market. As a result, patients and doctors in those states will have access to this important treatment option for the foreseeable future. Because Kacsmaryk stayed his order for seven days to give the FDA time to prepare an appeal, Mifepristone will continue to be available in Ohio for at least the short term.”

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