COLUMBUS, Ohio — Black leaders in Columbus joined forces Sunday to take a stand on women’s reproductive health in this year’s elections. The leaders held the “Their Body, Their Choice” event outside of A Cut Above the Rest barbershop.
Carter Womack, an organizer of The Black Men’s Collective of Columbus, says several organizations were represented to make a commitment to grassroots efforts to help educate young men at the polls.
“That is registering to vote, voting, getting others to vote, and understanding it's important that if change is going to come at a level, we've gotta elect people that believe in issues that are impacting black people in general and all women across the board,” says Womack.
The group is also committed to canvassing, going door-to-door, raising funds and hosting candidates’ forums.
Ohio Right to Life CEO Peter Range says his organization is focused on passing "The Human Life Protection Act" by the end of the year, ending all abortions in Ohio.
“We're very excited for the possibility that every child conceived, made the image and likeness of God with unique DNA, outside of the DNA of its mother and father will be given full personhood rights, and that begins with the right to life,” says Range.
Ohio Right to Life is also focused on equipping pregnancy centers with all the resources parents of unexpected pregnancies may need before and after birth, including financial, spiritual and mental support.
“I hope that we can have these conversations moving forward as a state and as a country, in mutual respect and dialogue so that we can find some communion, you know, with no communication or can be no communion,” Range says. “So I really want to offer to all those pro-choice groups and those individuals who want to see the best for the people, the state of Ohio. We're ready to sit down at the table with anybody to talk about common sense solutions moving forward.”