Both sides in abortion battle angle for Ohio funding

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A multibillion-dollar spending bill will be the vehicle that will help several groups fulfill some of their goals, including policy and money that has to do with abortion and pregnancy.

“The old playbook is out the window, so what do we do moving forward?” Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis said. “We have the most robust legislative agenda than we've had in the 17 years that I've been here at Ohio Right to Life. Gone are the days where we'll be introducing bans on abortion.” 

Gonidakis said now that Ohio has a reproductive rights amendment, Ohio Right to Life has shifted its focus to things like “real health care needs” and housing support.  

“Look, when given a choice, a woman will choose life, but if she feels that she has no other choice, unfortunately more often that she will have an abortion,” Gonidakis said. “The foundation of what we're going to be doing at the legislature in 2025 is making sure women have access to health care, access to housing, access to real needs so they can choose life.” 

Specifically, Gonidakis will push for up to $68 million for the biennium in adoption funding. 

“We can eliminate the children in foster care if we give parents and individuals incentives and grants to adopt,” he said.  

“Adoption is a wonderful thing for people who choose that,” Abortion Forward Executive Director Kellie Copeland said. “But it is not an alternative to pregnancy. It is an alternative to becoming a parent and those are different things.” 

Copeland said Abortion Forward will also focus on, first, repealing laws that no longer align with the state constitution. 

“Unfortunately, there are numerous laws that are still on the books that should not be being enforced so they should be repealed by the legislature, or they should be struck down by the courts,” she said. “Things that make it difficult for people to access abortion care in their communities.” 

Copeland agreed with Gonidakis that some things needing funding include improving outcomes of pregnancies.  

“We think it's important for the state to invest in things like family planning, child care, doulas for people throughout their pregnancies,” she said. “Those sorts of programs that can increase health outcomes that can help people make their own decisions.”  

Copeland does not align with Gonidakis’ ask of about $14 million for the state’s 123 crisis pregnancy centers. She called any money that has gone towards them to this point “wasted.” 

“That money should certainly be reappropriated because it is being spent in the least efficient manner possible,” Copeland said. “You know, they put these moneys towards these, you know, fake clinics because they're political allies, not because they're actually providing valuable services to the public." 

Gonidakis defended the centers. He said they help provide health care, diapers, car seats, cribs, baby formula and more, at no cost. 

“At any given center, on any given day, regardless of your race, creed, color, sexual orientation, you can walk in there and we're there with loving care to provide, not just access to shelter, to food, to health care, to ultrasound machines,” he said. “We take any woman that walks in that door, and we help them. We don't ask for $1. Who could oppose that? I struggle to find any sympathy for the other side and Planned Parenthood, who demonize people who are trying to help others.” 

“That's wild to me,” Copeland said. “I cannot think of a least less efficient way to get diapers into the hands of families who need them than forcing them to find the time and the transportation to go to a fake clinic. What the state of Ohio can and should do is reappropriate that money, put it on WIC, put it on SNAP cards. People can buy diapers much more efficiently than having to go through some third-party political organization that lobbies to outlaw abortion.” 

Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said he thinks, even given a likely tight budget season, items like pregnancy centers can be funded. 

“I don't know that the things that you just mentioned are extraordinary budget costs,” Huffman said. “But I think that the work that pregnancy resource centers do is extraordinary.” 

Gonidakis said he also wants to evaluate parental consent laws as it relates to abortion, raise awareness about baby boxes and, overall, make sure “no pregnant women are falling through the cracks.” 

“We can strengthen our laws as it relates to making sure that pregnant women do have access to health care; that might not have a traditional doctor, whether it be through our pregnancy centers, whether it be through mobile units,” he said.    

Copeland said while some of the basic ideas are bipartisan, she is not holding her breath that they all get done. 

“I hope that [Ohio Statehouse Republicans] are sincere, that they're going to fund these services that Ohioans need,” Copeland said. “But frankly, based on their behavior, I'm worried that it's a smokescreen and they won't really make those investments.” 

Gonidakis and Copeland are also both watching the Ohio Supreme Court closely, to see how exactly it rules that the reproductive rights amendment can be enforced. 

“That's where the Supreme Court, this new pro-life Supreme Court, comes in,” Gonidakis said. “Six of the seven members are endorsed by Ohio Right to Life. That doesn't mean anything other than we're going to get hopefully a compassionate decision from them someday.” 

“Obviously it's a concern,” Copeland said. “We want to make sure that judges who are on the state Supreme Court or any court are applying the law, that they're not being activist, that they're not applying their own personal view.”