This past Tuesday, Congressman Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) announced that he has changed his view on abortion rights in an op-ed for Ohio.com. According to TIME, Ryan has self-identified as pro-life for the majority of his political career, having being raised Catholic. However, talking to women both in Ohio and across the country has changed his stance to pro-choice.

Since Ryan was elected to Congress in 2003, he has voted for numerous abortion restrictions including parental notification laws, restrictions on abortion funding in health care reform, and a ban on abortions in federally funded military hospitals. However, now Ryan wants to make it clear that his views have changed.

According to the Huffington Post, Ryan wrote, "I have sat with women from Ohio and across the nation and heard them talk about their varying experiences: abusive relationships, financial hardship, health scares, rape and incest...

These women gave me a better understanding of how complex and difficult certain situations can become. And while there are people of good conscience on both sides of this argument, one thing has become abundantly clear to me: the heavy hand of government must not make this decision for women and families."

He continued, "I have come to believe that we must trust women and families-not politicians-to make the best decision for their lives. No federal or state law banning abortion can honestly and fairly take into account the various circumstances that make each decision unique...

Where government does have the ability to play a significant role is in giving women and families the tools they need to prevent unintended pregnancies by expanding education and access to contraception."

Since Ryan's op-ed became public, Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, has made a supportive statement. It reads, "Congressman Ryan joins the overwhelming majority of Americans who want women to have access to abortion and don't want politicians to interfere in women's personal medical decisions."