The Dayton City Commission is urging Dayton’s two major health-care systems to sign a transfer agreement with the Miami Valley’s last-remaining abortion provider.
The agreement is required by state law. And without it, the clinic is in danger of closing.
Among the city commission members, four out of five voted in favor of the resolution asking Kettering Health Network and Premier Health to sign the transfer agreement with Women’s Med Center in Kettering.
Legal efforts to challenge the state requirement have so far been unsuccessful.
Mayor Nan Whaley says the city supports abortion rights.
“We want to make sure that people have access to that care," she says. "And in our community, where health-care access is always under attack, certainly we need to have the Women's Med Center stay open.”
Commissioner Matt Joseph voted against the resolution, saying he doesn’t agree with the language.
Four members of the public spoke in favor of the measure. Three spoke against it, including a representative from the Diocese of Cincinnati.
Women’s Med Center served 2,300 patients last year.
A spokesperson for NARAL Pro Choice Ohio says court efforts to keep the clinic open are ongoing.
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