Kent City Council takes stand on abortion ruling despite protests

Kent City Council made official its opposition to a recent Supreme Court ruling striking down abortion protections and Ohio's "heartbeat law," despite protests Wednesday from a handful of people, most of them from Summit County.

More:Reproductive rights supporters rally in downtown Kent

The resolution, which expresses "support of women's reproductive rights in dissent" of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, calls the ruling "an unprecedented subversion of that landmark ruling." It urges Ohio lawmakers to "listen to the majority of our state’s residents and repeal the ban on abortions after 6 weeks that is currently in effect, restoring access to abortion in Ohio."

In June, the court overturned Roe v. Wade in a 6-3 decision, abolishing nearly 50 years of precedent guaranteeing Americans the constitutional right to an abortion. That triggered Ohio's "heartbeat law," which made most abortions illegal in Ohio if not performed before a heartbeat can be detected.

More:Roosevelt students, community rally for reproductive rights in Kent

More:'We can't just be meek and mild.' Abortion rights protesters rally in downtown Kent

Last month, Councilwoman Gwen Rosenberg proposed the resolution. Rosenberg, who called for letters on the issue shortly after the ruling was released, said she received responses "expressing fear, concern and horror at the potential for harm directed at Ohio's childbearing population." One letter writer, she said, predicted that "women will suffer and even die" without the right to an abortion.

A handful of demonstrators from Right to Life of Northeast Ohio attended the meeting, some holding signs outside the fire station where meetings take place before the session began. Only two of them were from Kent, with the rest from communities in Summit County.

"Legal abortion harms women," said Raymond Adamek, citing statistics of women who have been injured by botched abortions.

Allie Frazier, executive director of Right to Life of Northeast Ohio, went on to describe different types of abortion procedures in graphic detail.

Council also acknowledged the receipt of letters from eight residents, who were opposed to the court ruling and the heartbeat law.

Attempt to stall resolution fails

When it came time for Council to discuss the resolution, the three members who opposed the measure took steps to amend or delay a vote on it. First a motion for first reading, which would have delayed a final vote for two more months, failed; then a motion by Councilman John Kuhar also was voted down. The same members who ended up supporting the resolution — Rosenberg, Mike DeLeone, Jack Amrhein, Robin Turner, Heidi Shaffer Bish and Tracy Wallach — also opposed the first reading and Kuhar's amendment, while Kuhar and Councilmen Garrett Ferrara and Roger Sidoti supported both the first reading and amendment.

Kuhar had called for the ordinance to be amended to ask the legislature to put exceptions in the heartbeat bill. He said the amendment was difficult for him because the proposed amendment went against his religious beliefs.

"I'm opposed to all abortion," he said. "We say that we're a compassionate city, but how much compassion do you show when we can't protect the most vulnerable human beings in the city, and that's the unborn child?" he said.

Ferrara said he believes it's not up to City Council to take a stand on abortion, and said those who want to write to their state legislators should do so. Sidoti expressed mixed feelings on abortion, saying he "doesn't have the wisdom" to decide cases like the 10-year-old Ohio girl who had to leave the state for an abortion.

"I'd like to see the conversation changed," he said. "It appears there is no common ground in a lot of these things, and I'm troubled by that... I really believe in women's rights, but I'm against abortion. But if that means a young person has to leave the state to get their life back in order, I'm not."

Turner said it's common for City Council to approve resolutions making a statement on key issues.

"This is not unreasonable," he said. "We do this all the time."

Rosenberg said the resolution is well researched and expresses the point "very well."

"It points to specific facts," she said. "I think it sticks to the point that this is very bad legislation coming out of our Ohio legislature. " She said it reflects the viewpoints of many residents who discussed the issue with her.

Mayor Jerry Fiala pointed out that the resolution "also encourages all residents to contact their local and staterepresentatives and express their opinions."

"I think that's the key to this whole thing," he said.