CLEVELAND (WJW) — Ohio lawmakers are reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade.

Friday’s outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.

Several Ohio officials have released statements on the decision.

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Paduchik released a statement:

“A grave injustice of judicial activism has been overturned, and the right to govern is restored to the people of Ohio. This is a historic day for all Americans who worked for decades to defend unborn children.”

Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters released the following statement:

“Ohioans’ fundamental right to reproductive care, including abortion and birth control, is on the line in this year’s election. This disastrous decision lays squarely at the feet of Ohio Republicans – from J.D. Vance to Mike DeWine to extremists in the statehouse – who have spent years working to strip women of their basic rights and enacting new, cruel restrictions that would punish survivors of rape and incest. 

“It is critical that Ohioans elect Tim Ryan, Nan Whaley and pro-choice Democratic candidates up and down the ballot in November who will protect the right to abortion. We will continue to fight so that women can make these personal decisions with their doctors and without unwanted and unnecessary interference from politicians. This November, Ohioans will take their outrage to the polls and defeat the extremist Republicans who gutted our freedom to choose.”  

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb tweeted:

“Today, the Supreme Court took another extreme and radical step to move America backwards by overturning Roe v. Wade – and they won’t stop there. 

This is a ruthless attack on women, particularly low-income women and families who can’t afford healthcare and an affront to all who came before us, who fought long and hard for reproductive rights over 50 years ago. 

This is not just a dark moment in our country, this is a movement to rewrite history and take away freedoms enshrined in law for decades.

Women’s reproductive rights are under siege, and I am determined to mobilize every resource and legal mechanism within my power to protect women’s safety, health, and right to choose. ” 

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost says:

“This decision returns abortion policy to the place it has always belonged: to the elected policy branches of government. Roe was poorly reasoned, a doctrine of shifting sands that invited perpetual litigation.

“We will continue to debate this issue. But passion is not a license to violence. I call again on my federal colleague, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and my fellow states’ attorneys general to publicly commit to holding violent protesters accountable under the law, no matter which side they are on.”

Candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio JD Vance issued the following statement:

“I am 37 years old, and for my entire life abortion on demand—decreed by an unelected panel of judges—has been forced on the nation. Today is a great day. It vindicates a half century of work, and gives us an opportunity to live up our founding creed—that all of us are truly created equal.

“We now enter a new phase of the pro-life movement. We will continue the fight to ensure that every young mother has the resources they need to bring new life into the world. We will build an economy where it’s possible to sustain and support our children. We will expand adoption and promote pregnancy centers, so that every child has the loving home they deserve. Some of our efforts will be federal, and others local, but all will be focused on the simple principle that life is worth protecting—from the moment it begins until its natural end.

“In the Hebrew Bible, God tells Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” This wisdom echoes through the ages in our hearts and in our minds; now it falls to us to ensure it is reflected in the laws of our nation.”

Senator Sherrod Brown says:

“This is a radical decision by an increasingly out-of-touch court. When, how, and whether to have a family is one of the most personal and meaningful decisions we make in life. Everyone should have the freedom to make those decisions, free from political interference.

The President and Congress must take action to restore protections for women to make their own health choices. And women will make their voices heard in voting booths around Ohio and the country this November.”

Senator Rob Portman tweeted:

“Today’s ruling is consistent with my view that policy questions regarding abortion should be decided by elected representatives of the people, not the Supreme Court. Through its ruling today, the Court made this clear. The states already play a significant role in abortion policy, but have been constrained by various Supreme Court rulings. Now the issue of abortion will be decided by the states and the elected representatives closest to the people.”

U.S. representative for Ohio’s 13th congressional district Tim Ryan says:

“Today’s disastrous decision is the largest case of government overreach in my lifetime. By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court is gutting a long-established right in order to put politicians between women and their doctors. Even worse, this ruling gives the green light to those here in Ohio who have introduced legislation that would deny women access to potentially lifesaving care, and threaten to put women and doctors in jail.

“We saw this coming, which is why as a member of Congress I’ve voted repeatedly to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, only to watch it die in the Senate along with so many other bills that would protect health care and help women and families. It’s clear the Senate is not working the way it’s supposed to and Ohio women will pay the price. It has never been more important that we expand our pro-choice majority, end the filibuster, and pass legislation to protect the fundamental right to an abortion.”

Ohio Lt. Governor Husted says:

“As we transition as a nation from Roe to Dobbs, we all need to do our best to understand and respect the heartfelt, genuine differences of opinions among our families, friends, neighbors and communities. Being an adoptee who started life in a foster home, my own experience helped shape my views on this issue. I’m here today because my birth mother chose life and put me up for adoption, which I know could not have been an easy decision for her. My prayer for all of us is this collective experience will build a more compassionate nation that values life.”