On Saturday, October 2nd 2021 more than 1,000 people attended the Rally for Abortion Justice at the Ohio State House in Downtown Columbus as part of the 2021 National Women's March. Demonstrators in Columbus and at 600 other marches around the country showed up to support the right to access abortion care. The unpreceded Texas law banning nearly all abortions in that state shocked many advocates for reproductive health care.

Abortion access is under attack in Ohio as the 1st hearing for Ohio Senate Bill 123, a "trigger ban" that would criminalize abortions in Ohio, entered Senate Committee with support from two Republican sponsors on September 29th. Also the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would hear the Mississippi case which could overrule Roe v. Wade in the session starting this October 2021.

At the rally demonstrators held signs that read "My body, my choice" and "Anti-abortion laws are part of systemic racism," and "If you can't trust me with a choice, how can you trust me with a child?"

After listening to a number of speakers rally attendees marched down High street and throughout the downtown before returning to the Statehouse. Speakers asked the crowd to keep fighting and support the Ohio-based reproductive rights and justice organizations that are on the ground fighting to protect access to abortion, such as URGE, Women Have Options, Ohio Women's Association, Planned Parenthood, and NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio.

Photos courtesy of Ahmie Bah