TOLEDO, Ohio — Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Bishop Daniel Thomas on behalf of the Toledo Catholic Diocese.
Members of Toledo City Council want to use some of the city's American Rescue Plan funds to help women safely access abortions. But Ohio-based anti-abortion Catholic and Christian groups are standing against the plan.
The plan, sponsored by council members Nick Komives, Theresa Gadus and Michele Grim, would give $100,000 to the Agnes Reynolds Jackson Fund, also known as the Aggie Fund, a local non-profit that arranges abortion appointments and transports people to them.
Leaders of the fund say it's necessary healthcare, but opponents say it's a misuse of money.
The plan stems from council action from earlier this year, right after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, when 10 members of council signed a letter assuring that they would help Toledoans face the realities of living in a state with limited abortion protections.
Kristen Hady, an Aggie Fund board member, said council is keeping its promise with the proposed legislation.
"We are incredibly fortunate to have council members like Nick Komives, Theresa Gadus, and Michele Grim. And really they have been at the forefront, Nick especially, in passing and really listening to the community about proactive, necessary legislation," Hady said.
Ohio’s heartbeat law bans abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy but Hady said as more states restrict access, the few clinics that remain are becoming harder to book.
"Sometimes clinics are booking 5 or 6 weeks out, which is just not doable for a lot of patients," she said.
To circumvent this, the Aggie Fund helps people get to clinics in Cuyahoga Falls or Detroit by buying them Lyft passes or Uber rides, and Hady said council's funding would be a blessing and skyrocket the number of rides they can help secure.
But not everyone sees it as a blessing. Nilani Jawahar, the Center for Christian Virtue's legislative liaison, said it's an improper use of ARPA funds.
Jawahar said the ordinance is an example of local governments not valuing the foundations of family and that the center plans to actively campaign against it.
"When the government is trying to foster pro-abortion efforts, it's not encouraging us to thrive as families in our community," she said.
The Toledo Catholic Diocese has also expressed opposition to the proposal.
In a statement on behalf of the Toledo Catholic Diocese, Bishop Daniel Thomas said it's outrageous that council is considering using COVID-19 relief funds to help cover travel expenses for people who are getting abortions.
"Using funds allocated for COVID recovery to enable the taking of innocent lives and the harming of mothers and their children is both unjust and immoral," Thomas said. "Since abortion is not 'health care,' it is counterintuitive that recovery funds would support the killing of the most vulnerable members of our society."
Thomas urged council members to vote against the ordinance.
Council will vote on the issue on Dec. 20.