TOLEDO, Ohio — The local reaction to the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade has been boisterous. Toledoans gathered on Sylvania Avenue to protest the court's decision.
"This is a very important decision. I want to start a family soon, and I want to make that choice on my own. I don't want it to be 'I have to make a family'," demonstrator Kayleigh Salisbury said.
Shortly after the high court's ruling, Ohio's controversial heartbeat bill became law. And demonstrators say it could make the future of women's healthcare more difficult than ever before.
"It's scary because I don't want to be criminalized for having a miscarriage, that or even further," Salisbury said.
The protest brought out people from all walks of life. Including one man who says the issue is for all people.
"If somebody you care about is pregnant and wants to have an abortion, and can't have one, whether you're the one that's pregnant or not, that affects you. It's really a human rights issue the way I see it," Norman Perlmutter said.
And one religious leader says his church is objecting, saying it goes against medical science.
"We support women's choice. We support human rights. We support medicine and science, and the ability to do these things. We object to what the Supreme Court has decided," Rev. T.K. Barger said.
The demonstrators held signs and chanted, telling the world the ruling is an affront to women's health.
"This ruling basically says 'we don't care that women will die as a result of this' whether or not they seek an abortion. They will die simply because we don't have good enough care for those women in pregnancy to ensure they stay alive," state congressional candidate Nancy Larson said.