COLUMBUS, Ohio — With President Joe Biden’s executive order, abortion-rights activists in Columbus said they are hopeful. However, some businesses are continuing to work to support the women’s rights movement.
Cara and Nichole Woodhouse are sisters and they own the local plant-based restaurant, Woodhouse Vegan. The two sisters are taking their protests and their profits to support the cause.
“We do feel lucky that in a grossly dominated male industry, we are surrounded by a bunch of really strong females,” Cara said.
At their core, the women are activists trying to make the world a better place for animals and for humans.
“There's really no end and no start to activism, it should be your entire life, it shouldn't just be who you are and what you're dealing with, it should include everybody,” Cara said.
The sisters said the majority of the Woodhouse team is female or part of the LGBTQ community, so it’s important for them to find inclusive ways to support the movement and fight for women’s reproductive health.
The entrepreneurs say when they heard the news of the overturn of Roe v. Wade, they all turned to each other.
“We kind of had a good cry together, lots of silence, definitely some tears, it was scary. It was nice to have my team around me and to have my sister with me,” Cara said.
The sisters wanted to create a safe haven for people who want to protest but need community, so they used their restaurant as the meeting point.
“[People] can come out to our back patio, we'll provide them with items to make signs, and then we'll either bike to wherever the protest or rally is or we'll carpool,” Cara said. “The idea is that when we're there we stay together, we stay safe, and we make sure that we're supportive of each other.”
The sisters are doing a match-donation for their ‘JANES’ cocktail. Every cocktail purchase will receive a $2 donation to the Women’s Health Organization. They are also in Planned Parenthood’s corporate program to find additional ways they can support the cause.
“I think that if what you can do is go out and protest, that's what you do, if what you can do is go out and protest, that's what you do. The important thing is that you're just doing something,” Nichole said.
There will be a national Planned Parenthood walk-out between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. The ladies of Woodhouse Vegan are inviting the community to the restaurant and will be donating one dollar of every item bought toward Planned Parenthood.