Providing transportation funds for women seeking abortion care and funding an initiative to support the implementation of an inclusive medical care program for the LBGTQ+ community were discussed Thursday during a health committee meeting.
Toledo City Council’s Health Promotion and Access Committee heard testimony from individuals representing those groups that would be supported by the two spending proposals. The proposals are listed to appear before council at the Tuesday meeting.
Councilmen Nick Komives, Theresa Gadus, and Michele Grim have sponsored an ordinance that calls for the allocation of $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Agnes Reynolds Jackson Fund or “Aggie Fund,” which is an organization that provides transportation and other services to women in need of abortion care.
“We know that the barriers to accessing abortion care have increased dramatically and that those barriers fall hardest on those people who already face the most systemic obstacles to accessing health care and other resources,” Kristin Hady, an Aggie Fund board member said to the committee. “It is also very clear that Ohio will eventually join the growing list of states to lose all abortion access. Toledoans will have to go somewhere and Aggie Fund will use all of our resources to get them there.”
Councilmen Vanice Williams, Tiffany Preston Whitman, and Cerssandra McPherson said the issue was rushed too hastily to committee and they blamed committee chair Michele Grim with only giving a two-day notice for the hearing, which they said was not enough time to properly notify the public. Ms. Williams and Ms. McPherson also said that while they support a woman’s right to chose an abortion, they would not support using federal relief dollars in this instance.
“We really need to hone in on what we spend these ARPA dollars on, I don’t want to give any money back. That is my concern with this legislation,” Ms. Williams said. “I do believe in a woman having her choice, that is not why I am opposing this legislation.”
Ms. McPherson said that the many problems restricting women’s access to abortion care did not derive from the coronavirus, but rather the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade.
Five people in attendance spoke in favor of the legislation, while two spoke against it including Ed Sitter, who said that council has a habit of rushing through legislation.
“I think far too often council abuses the emergency process to avoid the scrutiny of the public,” he said.
The proposal generated criticism this week from the Catholic Diocese of Toledo as well as The Center for Christian Virtue, a Christian public policy group based in Columbus. In a Dec. 14 written statement, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas called the proposal “unjust and immoral.”
“Since abortion is not ‘health care’, it is counterintuitive that recovery funds would support the killing of the most vulnerable members of our society,” he wrote. As always, the Catholic Church stands ready to assist women through initiatives, such as Walking With Moms In Need, that work in cooperation with pregnancy resource centers to provide completely free resources for women and families. It is our responsibility as faithful servants of God to spearhead legislation to make it easier for mothers and fathers to flourish economically so they can provide a loving and thriving home for their families.”
In addition to discussing the Agnus Fund, the committee also heard testimony for a proposal to allocate $50,000 from the general fund to support a plan that calls for an affirmative and inclusive LGBTQ+ health care initiative. The proposal involves a three-year implementation schedule and includes an accreditation program for health care providers to become specially trained on gender-affirming care. The NWO LBGTQ+ Coalition, Solace Health and Wellness, and Equality Toledo have partnered to provide services in the proposed legislation, which they say will provide data, a resource guide, advocacy, training, a needs assessment, and access to care for the LGBTQ+ community.
“We know too many LGBT people are refusing care for often years at a time because of one negative or maybe many stigmatized experiences,” said Joseph Wood, board chair for Equality Toledo.
According to the group, 1.4 million adults in the United States identify as transgender and 1 in 4 have avoided medical care in the past year. In addition, 11,000 people in Toledo identify as LBGTQ, they said.
Mr. Komives joined Ms. Gadus in sponsoring the ordinance because he has experienced discrimination in the health care industry, which resulted in his refraining seven years from getting medical care.
“I went to somebody I thought, and was told would be friendly to me and they weren't. They humiliated me and through the experience I put off a lot of necessary health care,” he said. “I was legitimately afraid to go and I’m not alone in that experience. I know far too many LGBT folks who have experienced that.”
Mr. Komives is the former executive director and board member of Equality Toledo. He resigned from the board last year, Mr. Komives said.
First Published December 16, 2022, 12:18 a.m.
