The real "crisis" in Ohio
The state is taking millions from housing and childcare to fund anti-abortion centers
Ohio has spent more than $22 million in state funding on anti-abortion centers since Dobbs was overturned in 2022, despite a ballot initiative that added reproductive rights — including abortion — to the Ohio state constitution, with the approval of 57% of voters.
Anti-abortion centers, also known as crisis pregnancy centers, have the primary goal of discouraging people from accessing certain healthcare options, such as abortion and contraceptives, by using emotional manipulation and medical disinformation. And more often than not, their “medical professionals” have little to no medical training. But let’s send them millions of dollars, right?
“AACs use public dollars to fund tactics and programs that not only aim to delay, deceive, and discourage those in search of abortion care but also act as an unnecessary barrier to pregnant people looking for other medical care and support services,” the report stated.
Where is this funding coming from, you might ask?
The new study, conducted by Equity Forward, found that a large bulk of the money came from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. These grants were intended to assist vulnerable families in meeting essential needs like food, housing, and childcare, not to promote lawmakers' anti-abortion agenda.
The state also set aside $14 million for its Parenting and Pregnancy Program through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Organizations that receive money through the PPP must promote childbirth, rather than abortion, and they're banned from being associated with any so-called ‘abortion activities,’ including providing abortion counseling or referrals to abortion clinics.
And we can’t forget the $2.5 million in funding per year set aside so the state can buy these centers 3D ultrasounds so their untrained, non-medical staff can use them to manipulate people.
Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio lawmakers refuse to acknowledge that Ohioans have already said they do not want this when they voted on it in 2023.
It’s time to hold these lawmakers accountable.
Ohioans have spoken, so we’ll keep fighting for the rights we’ve earned and make sure our voices are heard every step of the way.
TANF requires that families with children- or pregnant women- have incomes no greater than 200% of poverty, right?