Reproductive health experts, including members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology, supported abortion access in a joint statement. “The consequences of being unable to obtain an abortion profoundly impact a person’s life, health, and well-being,” they wrote. Planned Parenthood offices in Ohio also spoke up in regard to concerns of medical supplies and access to abortions. “Planned Parenthood can still continue providing essential procedures, including surgical abortion,” the organization wrote in a statement shared on Twitter, while “doing our part to conserve needed resources and to protect the health and safety of our patients and staff.”

Limiting access to abortion during a pandemic only makes matters worse, especially in a time of emphasized social distancing. Yost refuses to acknowledge the multitude of reasons that could lead to ending a pregnancy, in addition to the time-sensitivity of such procedures. Limiting access and canceling abortions would only force women to go out of their way or to travel out of state at a time where travel is discouraged. “People decide to end their pregnancies for a complex constellation of reasons that include the impact of pregnancy and birth on their health, ability to work, and strained economic circumstances. These are conditions that do not go away ― and are likely heightened — in pandemic conditions,” NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio executive director Kellie Copeland said, according to HuffPost. “Denying or delaying abortion care places an immediate burden on patients, their families, and the health system, and can have profound and lasting consequences.”