Amna: It's been a year since the
supreme court overturned roe V.
Wade and the nationwide right to
abortion access.
Since then, six states have
voted on abortion-related ballot
measures.
And in each case, voters have
supporord abortion rights.
Laura barron-lopez reports on a
new effort underway in Ohio.
Laura: A coalition of doctors is
facing a Wednesday deadline to
collect more than 400,000
signatures to put reproductive
rights on the ballot in Ohio
this November.
The proposed amendment would
give every person the right to
make their own decisions on
abortion, contraception,
miscarriage care, and fertility
treatments.
While abortion could be
prohibited after fetal
viability, it would remain legal
in cases to protect the life of
the pregnant patient.
And it would prevent the state
from punishing patients or
anyone that assists them.
Doctor Lauren Beene is the
co-founder of Ohio physicians
for reproductive rights and she
joins me now.
Thank you so much for being
here.
You need 413,000 signatures to
get this measure on the ballot.
Do you have that amount to get
it in November?
Dr. Beene: Yes, we do.
Thanks to the overwhelming
energy and momentum of our
volunteer signature collectors,
who have been working for weeks
now, we will have enough to
submit to the secretary of
state.
Laura: What are you hearing from
people as you have been
gathering these signatures?
Dr. Beene: I have been hearing
just incredible tones of
support.
People feel very strongly that
health care decisions including
reproductive health care
decisions should be kept between
a person and their doctor, a
woman and her doctor.
And feel strongly that it's not
the place of the government and
politicians to make those
decisions for them.
When we are out, we are
cocoecting signatures --
everything that I encountered
was just a lot of excitement and
people saying this is great.
How can I help?
Laura: In August, the special
election, voters will decide
whether or not to raise the
threshold of support needed for
ballot measures to 60% versus
just a majority, which is what
is needed now.
That election could ultimately
determine the success of this
abortion access measure.
How are you preparing people for
that August wrote? -- Vote?
Dr. Beene: That is a big topic
of conversation among everybody
in Ohio right now and our
volunteers, we are bringing that
up with people as they were
asking if they would like to
sign the petition and support
reproductive freedom.
Don't forget to make sure you
are registered to vote and that
you vote no in August or July my
voting no early on issue one,
because -- July, voting no early
on issue one.
That would make it harder for
our issue we are focusing on,
reproductive freedom, but for
any issue that the people of
Ohio want to bring forth.
So that affects all of us
universally.
We are hopeful that it will not
pass, that the August special
election will not be successful.
Even if it were, we would still
power forwararbecause we know
this is what the people want.
The people want reproductive
freedom in Ohio.
Laura: Are you pressing national
leaders at all to come to Ohio
ahead of November?
Dr. Beene: This has been a
grassroots movement.
We started as a small group of
doctors and really exploded into
a group of thousands of doctors
and thousands of volunteers.
We are moving from the ground
up.
We have gotten some attention
from national leaders.
I have not personally reached
out to president Biden regarding
this myself.
For us, we have been so focused
on gathering signatures, keeping
this momentum moving forward and
really just getting the people
out to vote.
We appreciate the support of
anybody.
No matter how -- what state you
are in, what level of government
you are in, we appreciate
everybody's work because this is
protecting and essential persons
right, right to reproductive
freedom.
Laura: It has been a year since
the supreme court overturned roe
V. Wade.
The organization was founded
right after that decision.
What is the state of abortion
access in Ohio and what have you
and your patients experienced?
Dr. Beene: Immediately after the
Dobbs decision, a few hours
later, seven hours, a trigger
ban went into effect which made
abortion illegal in the state of
Ohio.
Cardiac activity -- that is six
weeks.
People refer to that as the
heartbeat ban.
The heartbeat ban was for 11
weeks.
During that 11 week period, it
was absolutely terrible.
People were not able to get the
care that they needed.
People were forced to leave the
state.
A lot of people heard about the
10-year-old girl who was raped
and impregnated and had to go to
Indiana to have an abortion
there because she could not get
care in our state.
Horrible story after horrible
story.
Thankfully, in October, that ban
was suspended through a
temporary stay in which some
very smart attorneys argue it
was unconstitutional in lower
court.
Currently, the heartbeat ban is
blocked.
It could be put back into effect
at any moment.
For the last several months, we
have been functioning in Ohio
under a pre-dobbs law.
Laura: That is Dr. Lauren being.
-- Beene.
Dr. Beene: Thank you so much.