Around a thousand people of all ages gathered in the warm sunshine on the Ohio Statehouse lawn, carrying signs that read "choose life", “make more babies" and “keep the GOP pro-life”.
It was the third annual March for Life and the first one since 57% of Ohioans voted to enshrine abortion rights into the constitution last year. But it was next month’s election on the mind of many who gathered.
The event brought out about a dozen state lawmakers along with clergy, religious school students and anti-abortion activists and groups from around the state.
Aaron Baer is executive director of the Center for Christian Virtue, which helped organize the march. Baer told the crowd there are already efforts underway by abortion rights groups to use the amendment to remove restrictions now in law.
"Planned Parenthood and the ACLU have filed lawsuits in state court that would eliminate informed consent provisions before a woman has an abortion, eliminate the requirement that a woman be told about their options before they have an abortion, eliminate regulations on the abortion pill. This is the radical agenda of Planned Parenthood and the ACLU," Baer said. “And they are going to run it down on our throats on the state court if these three seats get taken over by idealogues.”
Baer told the crowd who they vote for this fall would have an impact on abortion policy in the future.
Gabe Mann with Abortion Forward agreed the makeup of the Ohio Supreme Court is important but noted his side has a heavier lift.
“We need to flip the court because the current members of the Supreme Court of Ohio, the majority of them, do not support abortion care," Mann said.
“Abortion is still on the ballot in the Supreme Court races - they are the ones who will decide the issue we passed last year and the extent of it and how it’s going to be implemented," said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer.
As opponents of abortion listened to praise music and speakers on the stage, a small group of protestors gathered on the sidewalk, steps off the Statehouse lawn. They chanted into a bullhorn and carried signs extolling the right to abortion. Some protesters eventually made their way to the area in front of the stage. Some anti-abortion activists who attended reacted by praying over them.
The March for Life started the second day of a two-day conference hosted by CCV. The Essential Summit featured a variety of right-wing lawmakers and speakers, including former president Trump’s Housing and Urban Development director Ben Carson and Kevin Roberts of the Heritage Foundation. Roberts is among those who put together Project 2025, the initiative that seeks to be a blueprint for a conservative president to make big changes to government. Democrats have blasted Project 2025 for its abortion restrictions, among other proposals.
Early voting in Ohio starts Tuesday. The final day to register to vote is Monday.
