ODWLC Chair Rep. Lisa Sobecki issues statement after Supreme Court hears arguments on Mississippi abortion ban

COLUMBUS—State Rep. Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo), Chair of the Ohio Democratic Women’s Legislative Caucus, released a statement today after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on the most important abortion case in decades. The case regards a Mississippi law that would ban abortion procedures 15 weeks after conception, effectively overturning Roe v. Wade. 

“The Mississippi abortion ban is yet another attempt to erode a person’s right to bodily autonomy,” said Rep. Sobecki. “Despite support for reproductive choice across the country, Republicans in Mississippi and Ohio are pushing extreme legislation that will revert our great country back to a past where women died in alleys because they lacked access to safe medical abortions. These dangerous bills are the direct result of extreme hyper-partisan gerrymandering and elected state lawmakers who care more about politics than the needs of everyday people. We should be focusing on expanding access to critical healthcare, rather than criminalizing it. ”

The Supreme Court case comes as the Ohio House Families, Aging and Human Services Committee prepares to hear opponent testimony tomorrow on Senate Bill (SB) 157, Republican anti-abortion legislation that would criminalize physicians if they fail to provide care for fetuses born after failed abortions, a statistically rare occurrence. Opponents say SB 157 promotes misinformation and is part of a larger attempt to ban abortion completely in Ohio.