The Quickie: John Legend Tells Ohio to Give Abortion the Green Light
For Immediate Release: Oct. 18, 2023
Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.
In today’s Quickie: John Legend weighs in on abortion in Ohio, how forms are restricting access to abortion in Michigan, and chaos amongst house republicans.
JOHN LEGEND TELLS OHIO TO GIVE ABORTION THE GREEN LIGHT: Early voting is underway in Ohio, where the decision on Issue 1 will determine the fate of abortion access. In a new video for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, singer John Legend — a Springfield, Ohio native — implores the ordinary people of Ohio to stop the state’s abortion ban by voting yes on Issue 1. “Let’s stand up for our families and our freedoms,” Legend says.
The stakes for Ohio are high. Without Issue 1, the state’s abortion ban — which contains no exceptions for rape or incest — will take effect, and politicians are primed to make the ban even more restrictive. That ban is currently being considered by the Ohio Supreme Court.
Read more at the Ohio Capital Journal.
IN MICHIGAN, ABORTION ACCESS CAN HINGE ON PRINTING A FORM: For too many people, abortion is already challenging to access. But in Michigan, one form can determine whether a person can get access to timely, critical health care. That form is part of a range of outdated, medically unnecessary restrictions that includes a 24 hour waiting period. Despite ongoing and repeated efforts to inform patients about the required forms, confusion about which forms must be brought to the appointment can mean patients are unable to get care during their appointment. As Planned Parenthood spokesperson Ashlea Phenicie explains: “We tell patients about it when they schedule the appointment (both through our call center and online) and we make reminder calls, but it isn’t enough. People may not read the instructions thoroughly, they may not have access to a printer or Wi-Fi, they may miss the time window, they may forget the paperwork at home...the list goes on.”
These pieces of paper have real consequences for patients. Issues with the form lead to an average of 150 people’s appointments getting canceled every month at Planned Parenthood health centers in Michigan. As Jezebel reporter Susan Rinkunas explains, “And that’s just the number at Planned Parenthood—there are at least eight independent abortion clinics in the state as well. The number could easily exceed 200 people every month.”
Despite voters’ clear support for access to reproductive health care demonstrated in the passage of Proposal 3, this law remains on the books. Enacting the entire Reproductive Health Act as introduced would remove these burdensome restrictions and allow patients to access the care they need.
Read more from Jezebel here and Michigan Radio here.
CHAOS CAUCUS: ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER SPEAKER FIGHT FOR HOUSE REPUBLICANS: Despite a looming government shutdown and other critical bills needing urgent attention, House Republicans still can’t get it together. They’ve had two failed attempts to elect a speaker of the House in the last 24 hours. Today, Speaker nominee Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) lost even more votes from his party. Don’t forget that Jordan is an original cofounder of the House Freedom Caucus and led federal legislation to ban abortion nationwide at conception.
The dysfunctional and divided Republican caucus has been in disarray all session. In January, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-23) needed 15 rounds of ballots to get the role. However, one thing they are united around is their plan to ban abortion. While watching their chaos, Planned Parenthood Action Fund remains clear eyed about their extreme agenda and prepared to fight back at every turn.
