Reproductive rights advocates rallied at the Statehouse Thursday, regrouping after a last minute addition to the budget that could force the closure of the only remaining abortion clinic in Toledo.
A requirement that an abortion clinic have a transfer agreement with a hospital no more than 30 miles away was added to the budget in the midst of a marathon late night conference committee debate. Rep. Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) wasn’t surprised. “I expected something, and it’s sad, because it is a political football,” Antonio said.
Antonio and other lawmakers appeared at pro-choice gathering – and Ohio Right to Life’s Stephanie Krider also stopped by, saying the amendment was the result of lots of talks.
“We’ve been working for months, I guess behind the scenes, with a lot of those legislators just trying to figure out how we can close those loopholes and hold abortion clinics accountable,” Krider said.
However, a Toledo judge has ruled abortion language in the budget is unconstitutional.
