COLUMBUS, Ohio — Thousands of people gathered in front of the Statehouse Sunday for the “We Won’t Go Back” rally in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The key message at the “We Won’t Go Back” rally was that the fight for abortion protections has just begun. The Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade and gave states the right to regulate or eliminate abortion practices.
When the Supreme Court announced its decision Friday morning, Warner Workman said he felt nothing but disappointment.
“It really scared me,” said Workman. “It was really scary, and I’m not even a woman. Like it’s really scary.”
Shortly after the ruling Friday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost moved to dissolve the injunction against Ohio’s so-called “Heartbeat Bill,” otherwise known as Senate Bill 23. The bill, blocked by a judge in 2019, banned abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is around six weeks. On the same day, the Heartbeat Bill became law.
Workman said this decision immediately made him think of his sister, and said this is a human rights issue.
“Her first pregnancy was an ectopic pregnancy, and obviously with this ban, that could really affect her, and obviously I would never want to put her in harm,” said Workman.
Gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley spoke along with Sen. Sherrod Brown. The main message the rally wanted to send to Ohio Republicans was the fight on abortion protections isn’t ending with the Supreme Court. Rebecca Roebuck said she came to protest to fight for the rights of her two daughters.
“Thinking about their future and keeping them safe,” said Roebuck. “It feels like we’re going backwards, and I just want them to have all the opportunities they need to stay healthy and safe.”
Currently, two House Bills are up for discussion that would penalize doctors who perform abortions in Ohio, but those bills have yet to pass. Lawmakers are on an extended break until September, and it could be a few months before a full abortion ban is considered.
Mindy Hedges with Indivisible said voting is important now more than ever. Organizations like Indivisible, a voting rights organization, were out registering people to vote and making sure their addresses were up to date before the election. Young people registered and said that they feel like this Supreme Court decision isn’t representative of what the people want.
Since abortion protections are being given to the state, Hedges said voting is important more than ever.
“We need people to vote,” said Hedges. “Every vote counts. It’s so important now, particularly now and particularly for women.”
