CLEVELAND, Ohio — According to the Ohio Department of Health, more Black women statewide had an abortion in 2020 than any other race, about 48%.
To be even more specific, Cuyahoga County had the most abortions at 31.5%.
“We are going back to a time where the private conversations about a woman being pregnant are not between her and her doctor, they are between her and the legal system,” said State Representative Juanita Brent, who sits on Ohio’s Black Maternal Health Caucus.
Brent explained that any decision surrounding abortions will impact women of color disproportionately. As of 2019, Ohio’s Black infant mortality rate was nearly triple that of white infants, according to ODH.
“We cannot be in a place where we’re telling people to just abstain, it’s more than just that,” said Brent. “If people are not having good access healthcare, they’re not having access to contraception and that means our system, our government will have to take care of these children.”
Ohio Right to Life calls Monday’s leak out of the US Supreme Court a win and adds that it is the government’s job to help women in need.
“We need to make sure that if there's any gap where a woman needs prenatal care that we’re there to make sure that she has it,” said Michael Gonidakis. "We believe in the inherent right of all people whether you're black, white, male, female, gay or straight. Everyone has an inherent right to life, and we believe that overturning Roe v Wade is the right thing to do."
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