Columbus, OH — 

The Ohio Section of the American College of Obstetricians and

Gynecologists (ACOG-Ohio) which represents the interests of more than 1,500
obstetrician-gynecologists in the state, today officially endorsed "The Right to
Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety” citizen initiated
Constitutional amendment.
“This commonsense amendment will restore and protect the vital reproductive rights that
were guaranteed by Roe v. Wade for fifty years,” Dr. David Hackney, Chair of AGOG-
Ohio and Dr. Amy Burkett, the organization’s immediate past Chair said in a joint
statement. “When Dobbs destroyed those rights and Ohio’s extreme abortion ban that does
not include exceptions for rape, incest, or lethal fetal anomalies went into effect, the
consequences were immediate and dire. The health and lives of patients across our state
were put at risk and physicians faced the prospect of being arrested, charged, convicted of
felonies, and jailed for providing standard, appropriate, evidence-based medical care.
Enshrining reproductive freedom, including access to abortion, in the Constitution is the
only way to ensure that this dangerous, intolerable scenario is never repeated in our state.” 
“ACOG Ohio supports and endorses the amendment because it assures all Ohioans will
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have access to comprehensive reproductive health care, empowers patients and doctors to
make decisions about contraception, assisted fertility treatment, and abortion without
interference from the government, and will prevent the enactment of laws that are not
supported by research or the best available medical evidence,” Drs. Hackney and Burkett
continued.
“Abortion is a safe medical procedure that significantly reduces maternal morbidity and
mortality. Carrying a pregnancy to term is 14 times more likely to lead to death than a legal
abortion. Criminalizing the use of evidence-based standards creates a serious ethical
dilemma for physicians who are forced to choose between providing the medically
indicated treatment patients need and breaking the law. The amendment will eliminate that
dilemma by protecting the full range of reproductive care options now and in the years
ahead.”
“We are pleased to join Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights (OPRR), Ohioans for
Reproductive Freedom (ORF), and the many other outstanding organizations that are
leading the effort to enact the amendment and we look forward to serving as a reliable
source of evidence-based information about reproductive health care and abortion as the
campaign progresses.