COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Supreme Court's ruled on Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade, taking away constitutional protections for abortion.
Some believe the ruling will disproportionately affect Black women.
On Saturday, 10TV talked with Fran Frazier, the founder of Black Girl Rising, Inc., an organization that works to empower Black girls, about the Supreme Court's decision.
"This overturning of Roe v. Wade is not somebody else's issue, it literally is going to be our issue,” she said. “We need to find a way to own ourselves back.”
Frazier’s organization works to elevate the experience of young black girls’ lives. She said she is fearful of the health of many Black women who could need an abortion in Ohio.
Data from the Ohio Department of Health reports black women make up nearly half of the women who got an abortion in Ohio.
10TV also spoke with Dr. Allison Norris, an Associate Professor in the College of Medicine and the College of Public Health at The Ohio State University. She is also Co-Principal Investigator of the Ohio Policy Evaluation Network.
"Black women have a much, much, elevated risk of dying in birth as compared to white women,” she said.
"Any person having to go through a birth that isn't one they wanted and facing the extra burden around death, it heaps harm upon harm for our Black and brown Ohioans and for people across the country," Dr. Norris said.
Frazier said now is the time for Black families to start having conversations about sex education and reproductive health care.
"This is not a Black woman, Black girl conversation. It has got to be a balanced conversation and we all have to be held responsible,” said Frazier.