Mason, Ohio City Council Passes Abortion Ban

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Contact: Aileen Day, [email protected]

Mason, Ohio City Council Passes Abortion Ban

Mason, Ohio – Late last night, the City Council of Mason, Ohio passed an ordinance banning abortion in their city with no exceptions. This ordinance will make it more difficult for people in Mason to access the reproductive health care they need and will have devastating reverberating impacts on their community. Abortion is health care and health care is a human right.

This ordinance will penalize Mason residents who provide support to someone seeking an abortion. This means a mother can face legal action if she drove her daughter to a clinic.

Statement from Kersha Deibel, President, and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio,

“This radical ordinance passed despite hours and hours of Mason residents passionately testifying against it. Banning abortion is not only outside of the scope of the city council’s authority but has now opened up the city of Mason to public ridicule, promised boycotts, and costly litigation.

The people of Mason and the surrounding areas—who already face significant barriers to abortion care—are being left even more isolated and with fewer resources to turn to. Residents of Mason, Ohio deserve better than lawmakers who are trying to take away their rights. Abortion is legal in Ohio.”

When abortion is not an option people and their children suffer. States with more abortion restrictions tend to have poorer health outcomes for people and children than other states, including higher rates of maternal and infant mortality.

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Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio supports advocacy for reproductive health and reproductive rights, including grassroots organizing, community education, and lobbying. www.ppao.org

Serving 20 counties in Southwestern Ohio and three in Northern Kentucky, Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio strengthens the community by providing access to high-quality health care and education that empower people to make informed private decision about their reproductive lives and sexual health. With seven health centers throughout the region, it is Planned Parenthood’s goal to provide reproductive health care services to any individual who wants or needs them, to advocate public policies which guarantee each individual’s access to services, to advocate individual’s right to privacy and their ability to make reproductive decisions free of coercion, and provide human sexuality education which enhances the health and well-being of individuals in the community. Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region is an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.