Columbus — The Ohio Department of Health release the 2020 Induced Abortions in Ohio report today. There were 20,605 abortions performed in Ohio last year; a 3% increase from 2019. Additionally, medication abortion was used more than in-clinic procedures as clinics worked to provide appropriate options that conserved personal protective equipment, while providing time-sensitive and essential care during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland said: “More Ohioans got abortions in 2020, which demonstrates how important abortion access is in our state. Everyone deserves to have to that care in their community without judgment, delay, or stigma. Ohio’s abortion providers observed COVID protocols and preserved PPE at the height of the pandemic as they continued to provide time-sensitive, essential care.”
Copeland added: “Political obstruction of abortion care is dangerous. During the beginning of the COVID crisis, Mike DeWine and Dave Yost leveraged the pandemic to attack access to abortion, limiting the care that clinics could provide, potentially causing more people to choose medication abortion care. Ohioans need elected leaders who will put the wellbeing of their constituents first, instead of imposing their dangerous and out-of-touch views on Ohioans. Since 2011 30 attacks on abortion and other forms of reproductive healthcare have been signed into law. All of these attacks disproportionately impact Black and other people of color, low-income Ohioans, young people, and transgender and non-binary individuals. Every Ohioan deserves access to abortion care, no matter where they live, who they are, or what their income is, and we will continue to fight for that across our state.”
Abortion remains legal and available in Ohio. Our state currently has nine abortion providers, six of which offer full in-clinic services. Find the full list of clinics at https://prochoiceohio.org/clinics/
The report from the Ohio Department of Health is available at https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/explore-data-and-stats/published-reports/data-and-stats-abortion-reports
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