DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Abortion advocates protested outside the Dayton Federal Courthouse at the same time Ohio’s “Heartbeat Bill” became law after Roe v. Wade was overturned Friday.
“No one should be forced to carry a child full-term against their will,” protester and abortion advocate Holly Hazlip said.
Earlier on Friday, anti-abortion advocates celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade outside the Life Enrichment Center in Kettering.
“I’m very glad that they decided that way cause to me that means a lot of babies will be saved,” anti-abortion advocate Vivian Skovgard said.
Within hours of the Supreme Court’s ruling, Ohio’s abortion laws changed.
Ohio’s “Heartbeat Bill,” which was previously blocked by a federal judge because it violated Roe v. Wade, is now law.
Under this law, abortion in Ohio is still legal, however it bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks.
The Ohio House and Senate are also both considering bills known as the Human Life Protection Act. It calls for a ban on all abortions – except cases to save a mother’s life – and physicians who would perform an abortion could face felony charges.
The founder of the Dayton Women’s Rights Alliance Joy Schwab organized Friday’s protest. Schwab said her organization will continue to mobilize against the decision and Ohio’s laws.
“We’ll start off with the six week abortion ban, when most women don’t even know that they’re pregnant, then from there we’ll go to more extreme legislation,” Schwab said. “We won’t put up for it. They will be out of office if they vote for those laws, they will be out of office in November.”
However, for local anti-abortion advocates, this is a win for the country. Anti-abortion advocate Gwen Sobieski is now calling on the state to focus on supporting families instead of abortion.
“The children are the most vulnerable, and to say that in order to let adults do what they want to do that we should kill them, that doesn’t seem right to me,” Sobieski said. “I’ve always felt like we need to do more on all levels. There are some law things that could happen that I think would help to support families.”
Ohio’s Human Life Protection Act is in Ohio House and Senate committees and have yet to be voted on by the General Assembly. If the bill does pass, it would still be several months before it goes into effect.