‘It destroys democracy’: Republicans bid to rewrite Ohio’s abortion rules

SJR-2, which will require a supermajority for a ballot initiative to pass, will go before voters in an August special election. Photograph: Samantha Hendrickson/AP

On 10 May, a group of religious leaders huddled to pray in a circle in front of the Ohio state capitol. Inside the statehouse, Republicans were voting on a bill that could thwart advocates’ efforts to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

In the group of clergy was the Rev Terry Williams, a pastor who lives in a small town about 50 miles (80km) south of Columbus. When a congregant confided in Williams in 2012 that she needed an abortion, the pastor struggled to find a clinic – there are currently only six in the state of Ohio. The experience drew Williams into reproductive health advocacy.