Wed 10/2
Back in June, the Ohio legislature tossed a bunch of provisions limiting women’s reproductive rights into the biennial budget bill less than 48 hours before it came up for the final vote.
Probably hoping to avoid the massive demonstrations that accompanied the introduction and passage of anti-choice legislation in Texas, there were no hearings, no public discussion. And the governor signed the bill late on a Sunday evening — surrounded by six other middle-aged white men.
Apparently thinking they’d gotten away with it, just a few weeks later, a group of Republicans legislators held a press conference announcing even more extreme bills they plan to introduce. Their special guests: reality TV’s Duggar family with 17 of their 19 children. That’s apparently their vision for Ohio’s women.
But the anger among women — and many men — at this assault on women’s rights, inappropriately shoehorned into the state budget bill, has only been growing. It led to an informal rally at Cleveland City Hall (pictured above), which attracted nearly 100 participants and was addressed by state representative Nickie Antonio of Lakewood.
It has coalesced in the organization of a rally at the statehouse in Columbus Wednesday October 2 dubbed We Won’t Go Back Ohio. It’s cosponsored by more than 50 groups, including the League of Women Voters, the Columbus and Cleveland branches of the National Council of Jewish Women, the Association of University Women Ohio, and Equality Ohio.
The 11:30 AM rally will feature speakers Ellie Smeal from the Feminist Majority Foundation, Terry O’Neill of the National Organization for Women, Planned Parenthood Ohio’s Stephanie Kight, Sarah Hutchinson of Catholics for Choice, Petee Talley of the Ohio AFL-CIO, and Kellie Copeland of NARAL Pro Choice Ohio.
For more information, go to the We Won’t Go Back Ohio Facebook page.
