Toledo — Today, before the Toledo City Council’s Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee, witnesses explained why the city should adopt a new ordinance to protect patients and staff outside reproductive health care facilities. Currently, anti-abortion extremists outside Capital Care Network engage in harassing behavior to threaten staff and dissuade patients from seeking abortion care. Capital Care Network is the only abortion clinic in Northwest Ohio.
In testimony before the committee, NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Deputy Director Jaime Miracle said: “This ordinance is a balance between our constitutionally protected right to free speech and protest, and our government’s responsibility to protect the health and safety of its citizens. This ordinance you are considering is constitutional, it is needed and it is the right thing for Toledo. I urge swift passage.”
Answering concerns over whether the ordinance would affect union protests and pickets, proponent witnesses explained that union activity falls under the First Amendment. Only harassment and blocking entrances and driveways to facilities would be banned.
A volunteer clinic escort coordinator for the Capital Care, Kristin Hady, also testified: “Every day Capital Care is open, patients are confronted with unwelcome protesting from people whose motives are unknown. We often have protesters walking up to cars and following patients to the door. Other times, protesters will try to peer through our blinds, or stand directly in front of our window and yell inside, telling patients they are murdering their children.”
A University of Toledo medical student, Connor McNamee, recently shadowed clinic staff. He added: “No patient should be subject to conduct that creates reasonable fear of physical harm. No patient should be obstructed or blocked from entering a facility when seeking a legal medical procedure. Impeding access to medical care is never in the patient’s best interest.”
Today’s committee hearing was only to allow proponent and opponent testimony. No vote on the ordinance was scheduled.
While patients and staff seek help from Toledo City Council to stop harassment from protesters, the clinic is seeking legal redress from the courts to stop Governor John Kasich’s campaign to close clinics. The clinic is challenging Ohio’s “transfer agreement” requirement, with the case scheduled to be heard in the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio on September 12, 2017 at 9 a.m.
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We did it! Abortion and other reproductive care services are now protected in the Ohio Constitution! Support Pro-Choice Ohio’s continued work to ensure safe and equitable abortion care for all Ohioans.