The rally and protest against abortion coincided with the U.S. Supreme Court hearing oral arguments in the case Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, a case about whether the government can block public health care dollars from funding Planned Parenthood, including the organization’s non-abortion services.
Federal law already prohibits Medicaid money from going to pay for abortions, with very limited exceptions, according to the Associated Press.
In South Carolina, Medicaid patients often seek out Planned Parenthood because they often have difficulty finding a doctor who accepts the publicly funded insurance.
The case before the Supreme Court could upend that option as the state’s Republican governor, Henry McMaster, is pushing to block any public health care dollars from going to Planned Parenthood.
In Ohio, Medicaid also doesn’t cover abortion care, but it can reimburse for STI tests, cervical cancer screenings and contraceptive care. Medical billing also utilizes service codes that specify the exact services or procedures that were provided to patients.
IRS tax filings for Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio showed about 61% of its revenue in 2023 came from contributions like private donations and 38% came from program services, which includes both medical and educational services. The breakdown varies from year-to-year and largely depends on the contributions it receives. The remainder of its revenue came from other sources of income like investment income.
“We’re hoping that our taxpayer money will not go to have an abortion,” said Vivian Skovgard, of Kettering.
The rally outside of the Dayton Surgical Center of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio, previously known as the Women’s Med Center, on Wednesday included about 80 to 100 activists with multiple people speaking on a loud speaker outside of the center.
“We’re focused on serving our patients and providing the hundreds of people who turn to us each day with the essential sexual and reproductive health care for which they rely on us,” said Nan Whaley, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio.
A majority of Ohio voters codified access to abortion in the Ohio state constitution following the November election in 2023.
“These protests are designed to shame and intimidate our patients and keep them from accessing health care, no matter what the consequences. The bottom line is that everyone should be able to get health care without fear of violence, harassment or intimidation,” Whaley said.
Dayton Right to Life also provided people with information on resources for women and parents, such as access to diapers, clothing and education, Christie said.
Abortions in Ohio increased 19% in 2023 compared to 2022, a report from the Ohio Department of Health says, and Montgomery County had the second-highest number of abortion procedures. There were 4,283 abortions reported in Montgomery County in 2023.
This is a reversal of the previous 15% decrease in abortions in 2022 when the state was under a six-week abortion ban for about 11 weeks after the end of Roe v. Wade protections.
“Statistics show that 82 unborn babies are aborted here every week,” said Jenny Shoup, of Bethel Twp.
Shoup and others said they did not want tax dollars to go toward Planned Parenthood.
“I think everybody inherently knows it’s a life, and that’s why it’s such a hard decision,” Shoup said. “If it weren’t a life, it wouldn’t be such a hard decision, right?”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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