Hospital should step up for clinic

We were disheartened to read of the Ohio Supreme Court’s ruling against Toledo’s only remaining abortion clinic, Capital Care Network, in Wedneday’s Dispatch. We find the court’s disregard for abortion patients devastating.

While health-care access across northwest Ohio hangs in the balance, there is hope. ProMedica Toledo Hospital has the power to tip the scales by entering a transfer agreement with Capital Care, which would allow the clinic to continue providing surgical services. It’s free, requires only a signature, and supports ProMedica’s Mission, which states that “you should have access to the best care right in your neighborhood.”

Without Capital Care, Toledoans can expect to travel more than 50 miles not just out of their neighborhood, but out of their state to receive abortion care.

ProMedica has previously avoided taking a stance on this polarizing issue. However, neutrality has become a strike against local healthcare access. While it is regrettable that the court is forcing its hand, ProMedica has an opportunity to be the good Samaritan in Toledo’s time of need.

The court majority chose what they believed would be popular, but we await the news that ProMedica will instead choose what is right, rather than the path of least resistance.

Renata Reuenthal President Medical Students for Choice Ohio State University College of Medicine Chapter Columbus