Ohio doctor a promising leader in repro rights movement
Lauren Beene and her fellow activists are proof of why we need to emphasize doctors more in the movement.
Many women have established themselves as leaders of the reproductive rights movement in the last few years, leading successful campaigns to get a constitutional amendment in their states to protect abortion access.
Among those leaders is Lauren Beene, co-founder of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights. They were one of the state’s significant organizations behind its ballot initiative, passed in 2023. I spoke with her last week about her memories from the campaign and what she thinks needs to happen next in the movement. She supports a constitutional amendment at the national level. Otherwise, we will be at the whims of state legislatures.
“Local politics should not have an impact on whether or not you can get health care when you need it,” Beene said. “And I think that the only way that we can make sure that our patients can continue to get the care that they need is if something comes from the very top that guarantees our patients access to abortion.”
I intend to highlight leaders who should be elevated to national prominence in the coming months. Last week, I wrote a profile of Amy Fitch-Heacock, who was pivotal in Arizona. Beene is another whose intelligence and ingenuity should be utilized more.
One of her starker memories was when they turned in the signatures needed for the ballot initiative. There was a giant U-Haul truck in which they packed the petitions that they dropped off at the Secretary of State’s office. News crews from national television stations were there to capture the moment. Beene remembers what she thought.
“This is the power of democracy right here,” she said. “And I'm looking at it.”
During the Ohio campaign, I drove into the state to accompany doctors who knocked on doors. Beene and others walked through a neighborhood and spoke with people in their medical coats. It was undisputable that seeing doctors on their front steps affected those they talked to. One woman started crying when she walked to the door.
“That, to me, was really an incredible movement or moment where we made a connection with this person we would have never met before,” Beene said.
The campaign cost $40 million. Beene’s organization raised $10 million, mostly done at household gatherings. Beene and other doctors would present why they needed to pass the amendment at those parties. They held more than 100 of those events.
“They had a real grassroots vibe,” Beene said.
The amendment eventually passed, with 57 percent of Ohioans voting for it. Given how the last presidential election went, this indicates how popular abortion rights are as a cause, even in states that have trended Republican. It’s also a testament to the leaders' skills that are responsible for its success.