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In new reporting from the Akron Beacon Journal, Emilia Sykes and Kevin Coughlin once again proved that they couldn’t be more different when it comes to abortion rights.
While Rep. Sykes demonstrated her fierce support for reproductive freedoms, Kevin Coughlin refused to speak on record, choosing instead to only provide written responses — completely dodging uncomfortable questions about issues like his lengthy anti-abortion record and his prior crusade against Issue 1.
Don’t forget: Kevin Coughlin helped elect and is proudly backed by the author of Ohio’s six-week abortion ban that has no exceptions for rape or incest, and Coughlin has even bragged that he’s “either co-sponsored or voted for every allowable Roe v. Wade state restriction.”
DCCC Spokesperson Aidan Johnson:
“Kevin Coughlin is once again running from his voting record and taking the easy way out, proving just how scared he is to address his proven anti-abortion agenda. Northeast Ohio deserves someone who will protect their reproductive freedoms, not work to restrict them at every turn.”
Akron Beacon Journal: Rep. Emilia Sykes, Kevin Coughlin share views on abortion policy as Congress race heats up
Derek Kreider | June 21, 2024
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Two years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down nearly a half-century of nationwide abortion protections, the continuing battle over women’s access to reproductive health care is shaping up as a central issue in the race to represent the Akron-Canton area in Congress.
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The Supreme Court parted with decades of precedent on June 24, 2022, when it overturned Roe v. Wade and concluded with its Dobbs v. Jackson decision that “the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”
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On Nov. 7, 2023, Ohioans exercised that authority, voting to enshrine abortion protections via Issue 1, a state constitutional amendment that also protects the right to make other decisions concerning reproductive health, including contraception, miscarriage care, fertility treatment and continuing pregnancy.
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Ohio’s 13th U.S. House of Representatives district includes all of Summit County and parts of Stark and Portage counties. More people voted in favor of Issue 1 than against it in all three counties — but both supporters and opponents of abortion rights are gearing up for more battles ahead.
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The USA TODAY Network approached incumbent U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, and Republican challenger Kevin Coughlin of Bath to ask how the Dobbs decision and Issue 1 figure into the 13th District race. Sykes accepted a request to be interviewed, but Coughlin’s campaign said it was unable to arrange for that because of scheduling issues, and he instead provided written responses to emailed questions.
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Sykes said a nationwide ban would undermine the rights of Ohioans to determine their own level of abortion regulations as provided for under the Dobbs decision.
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Sykes said she is wary of efforts to characterize Issue 1 as a confusing proposition that merits voter reconsideration.
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“Many people,” Sykes said, “including my opponent, said that folks didn’t know what they were doing when they voted for Issue 1, which, to me, says that my colleagues don’t believe women or support women and don’t think that our constituents know how to make decisions for themselves.”
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The Ohio Capital Journal reported that in an interview with Ohio Christian Alliance radio soon after the November election, Coughlin said, “Obviously you can say well, the voters have spoken, but I really do believe that most people do not understand the extent of what has just been placed in our Constitution. I don’t think it represents a consensus of where we are as Ohioans.”
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Coughlin did not respond to a question about whether he feels the same now about the outcome as he did immediately after Issue 1 passed.
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Sykes said the GOP has opened “a never-ending Pandora’s box” through its efforts to restrict women’s reproductive rights.
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“Women have overwhelmingly said that we do not want to live in this type of nation, and that is why Issue 1 was so very important,” she said. “We gave people in this state an opportunity to speak up for themselves and they spoke loud and clear, and I’m happy to stand with them every step of the way.”
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Sykes said she finds it striking that the Republican Party, which has long touted itself as the party of small government, wants to widely control women’s health decisions.
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Coughlin, however, wrote that he remains committed to small-government principles.
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“As a conservative, I believe in limited government and in returning power from the federal government and to the states and to we the People where it belongs,” Coughlin said.
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