CINCINNATI —

Emotions are high across Greater Cincinnati and the rest of the country as reactions to the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic overturn of Roe v. Wade settles in.

A divided court voted 5-4 to overturn the case, ending the national legalization of abortion that has been in place in the U.S. for nearly 50 years.

The 1973 Roe v. Wade court decision affirmed the right to receive an abortion under the 14th Amendment, ruling that abortions were constitutionally protected up until about 23 weeks when a fetus could be able to live outside the womb.

Protesters hit the streets Friday to voice their opinions on the landmark decision.

WATCH: Pro-choice supporters protest decision overturning Roe v. Wade

Many held up signs, while others like Sarah Bloomer, held anger in their heart.

“I felt like I was punched in the gut. I felt disbelief. I thought we've come so far why is this a priority right now?” expressed protester Sarah Bloomer.

Other protesters expressed fears that the overturning the landmark decision was only the beginning.

"People aren't going to be able to get the healthcare they need. This is probably going to lead to attacks on other things like gay marriage or access to birth control,” said protester Kristen Silva.

However, not all protesters feel rage, some are rejoicing in a decision they have long been advocating for.

WATCH: Pro-life supporters praise decision overturning Roe v. Wade

“We will be a better world with more babies born,” Cincinnati Right to Life Executive Director, Laura Strietmann said.

Strietmann said the work is still not done.

The fight is going to continue on it's just going to be a different fight,” she said.

Pro-life groups are gearing up to pressure the state to pass the most restrictive laws possible.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision Friday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed an emergency motion in federal court to dissolve "The Heartbeat Bill" injunction.

Later Friday evening, a federal judge approved Yost's motion and dissolved the injunction.

The move effectively bans abortions after approximately six weeks of pregnancy across the state.

Yost tweeted "The Heartbeat Bill is now the law” after the decision was announced.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine released a televised statement asking "Ohioan's to work together in the months moving forward."

The ACLU of Ohio sent out a statement following the decision, saying it plans to fight for women's access to medical services.

"I see one group of people insisting that they have rights to hold weapons not to be taken away but they're okay and stand by when our rights are taken away. I’m not okay with it,” Bloomer said.

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The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and others are suing the city of Albuquerque to stop officials in the state’s largest city from destroying homeless encampments and jailing and fining people who are living on the street.

The lawsuit filed Monday accuses the city of violating the civil rights of what advocates describe as Albuquerque’s most vulnerable population.

Lawyers for the ACLU, the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty and a group of homeless plaintiffs contend that Albuquerque has initiated a campaign in which city personnel is hounding and harassing the homeless.

The complaint blames the city's own policies for causing a housing shortage, along with escalating home prices that have put ownership out of reach and have resulted in more pressure on the rental market. They also point to the trend of institutional investors buying single-family homes and renting them at sky-high rates.

“The lack of affordable housing and adequately paid employment in Albuquerque has not only caused precariously housed individuals and families to lose their housing, but it has also presented a barrier for currently unhoused people to exit homelessness," the lawsuit states.

The lawyers also acknowledge that mental illness, disabilities or substance abuse can be contributing factors to some people’s homelessness, but that the city simply doesn't have enough beds or shelters to accommodate the growing population.

Democratic Mayor Tim Keller's office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the lawsuit.

The ACLU is fighting similar actions in Arizona, where a federal judge last week temporarily halted Phoenix from conducting sweeps of a huge homeless encampment downtown.

In Albuquerque, the mayor's office has struggled to address the complaints of residents about homeless encampments taking over public parks and about aggressive panhandling. The city plans to develop a multimillion-dollar center on Albuquerque's south side where the homeless can seek services but the number of beds will meet only a fraction of the need.

Those without a place to go also have complained that the city's emergency housing shelter in a remote area west of Albuquerque is dangerous, unsanitary and infested with black mold.

According to the lawsuit, the shelter — which is able to house as many as 450 people — lacks working fire hydrants, does not meet fire safety and building codes, and has no means of sanitizing sheets, blankets or bedding to rid them of bed bugs and parasites.

Many of those at the shelter also have mental illness and behavioral health disabilities, and the advocates say mental health therapy is not provided there.

The lawsuit also detailed a homeless community of about 120 people that set up camp in Coronado Park, a city park north of downtown along a busy interstate. City workers began clearing the park of tents and belongings earlier this summer, making for what the plaintiffs described as a chaotic scene.

“Because the city lacks adequate shelter space and because even the available shelter space is not a viable option for some people, the people evicted from Coronado Park had nowhere to go," the lawsuit states. “People have looked for other locations, but the city continues to sweep unhoused people from wherever they land, making it impossible for people to settle anywhere.”

The New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness estimates the number of New Mexicans experiencing homelessness statewide is between 15,000 and 20,000. That includes those staying in shelters or outdoors and those who are temporarily living with others, living in unsafe housing conditions, sleeping in cars or staying in motels.

Maria Martinez Sanchez, legal director at ACLU-NM, said laws that criminalize people experiencing homelessness make it harder for them to find housing and jobs because even misdemeanor convictions can make someone ineligible for subsidized housing.

“Criminalizing homelessness does nothing to address its root causes. In fact, it exacerbates the problem," she said. "We know the solution — affordable housing. The city just needs to find the will and the courage to make it happen.”

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A state representative pre-filed two bills Monday that would decriminalize the personal use of marijuana in Kentucky.

Rep. Nima Kulkarni (D-Louisville) pre-filed a bill amending the state's constitution, permitting Kentuckians 21 and older to possess, use, buy or sell up to one ounce of cannabis without criminal penalty. Kentuckians would also be allowed to have up to five plants for personal use.

The constitutional amendment would need to be approved by three-fifths of the House and Senate during the upcoming 2022 legislative session, before going in front of voters next November.

Kulkarni's second bill would have the legislature eliminate criminal penalties for possessing, cultivating and/or selling small amounts of cannabis. The bill would also remove cannabis accessories from the state's drug-paraphernalia statutes.

"I have always said if you go the path of full legalization, you need to address the disparate impact that the war on drugs has had on Black and brown communities before you start talking about money, where it's going to go," Kulkarni said.

Kulkarni said while she knows the political winds may not be in her favor this upcoming session, she wants to start a conversation on the ways in which the legalization of marijuana could make Kentucky a more equitable and successful state. She cited an ACLU study from 2020 showing Black Kentuckians were nearly 10 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white Kentuckians, despite having similar marijuana use rates.

"Clearly marijuana and the war on drugs have fallen disproportionately on people of color here in Kentucky," said Kungu Njuguna, a policy strategist with the ACLU-KY.

The study says Kenton County is one of the worst counties in the state when it comes to racial discrepancies in marijuana arrests. According to the ACLU, Black Kentuckians are at least 14.36 times more likely to face arrest over marijuana possession in Kenton County.

Law enforcement officials in the Tri-State said marijuana is a low priority, but some said legalizing it could lead to other issues like impaired driving. Still, the ACLU said the bill would address issues the state has ignored for a long time.

"Any legislation that works to end the war on drugs and ends disparities in effects of the criminal justice system in people of color are things we need to continue to do in Kentucky," Njuguna said.

The ACLU is one of several organizations that have thrown support behind the bills pre-filed Monday.

In a press release, the state director for Americans for Prosperity-Kentucky said, "We applaud Rep. Kulkarni for introducing bills that would move Kentucky away from the harmful policies that have criminalized the use and possession of marijuana."

In addition to addressing racial inequities, Kulkarni said legalizing marijuana would provide mental and physical relief to "thousands of citizens," from cancer patients to veterans suffering from PTSD. She also said it would generate reliable revenue for the commonwealth without raising taxes.

RICHMOND, Va. (WTKR) - The American Civil Liberties Union announced a Virginia school board will be ordered to pay more than $1.3 million in attorney's fees and costs in a transgender discrimination case.

Gavin Grimm, a transgender man and former Gloucester High School student, successfully sued the school board for violating his rights under the Fourteenth Amendment and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

After years of litigation, the Supreme Court declined to review lower court decisions, ruling that the school board's discriminatory restroom policy for transgender students violated Title IX and the Constitution. The school board informed the court Thursday it would pay the entire amount requested in the fee petition.

“Rather than allow a child equal access to a safe school environment, the Gloucester School Board decided to fight this child for five years in a costly legal battle that they lost,” Grimm said in a statement. “I hope that this outcome sends a strong message to other school systems, that discrimination is an expensive losing battle.”

The resolution comes as Hampton Roads school systems vote on adopting a required Virginia Department of Education policy regarding the treatment of transgender students. Newport News School Board members recently voted against adopting the state-mandated policies, while the Portsmouth City School Board voted 5-1 to adopt the policy.

On Thursday, the Gloucester County School Board released a statement saying:

Advocates say the Grimm case demonstrates school systems could face expensive lawsuits if they don't accept the state's transgender policy.

"When these school boards actively choose not to adopt these model policies as required by the state, they're really actually opening themselves up to potential lawsuits," said Vee Lamneck, the executive director of Equality Virginia. "It is very costly and a very time intensive risk that the school boards are taking on."

Lawmakers in Arkansas passed legislation to ban gender-affirming treatments for transgender youth earlier this year, becoming the first state to make such a move. Now the ACLU is fighting back.

They have filed a lawsuit against state officials representing two physicians, four trans youths and their parents. The Brandt family is among them.

“It was years of going back and forth, trying to figure out who I was," said Dylan Brandt, a 15-year-old trans youth.

Self-discovery has been a journey for Dylan but two years ago everything changed when he handed his mom a letter.

“And in the letter he signed it 'your son Dylan,'" said Joanna Brandt, Dylan's mother.

That summer was a new beginning for this transgender teen. Nearly a year later was the start of hormone therapy. Dylan and his mother Joanna say that was the answer to much of his depression and anxiety.

“Most of that went away. The anxiety about going out to places, going to see people, gone. It changed everything. I’m so much happier, I’m so much more confident," Dylan said.

“It’s all of the things that give him the space to fully encompass externally how he feels on the inside," Joanna said.

Now, nearly ten months later, all of Dylan's progress could come to a halt. Arkansas, his home state, has passed a bill that would ban health care professionals from providing transition-related care to transgender minors.

Holly Dickson, the Executive Director of ACLU Arkansas says this ban has already done damage.

“This is such a sweeping government intrusion into the private lives of these young people. They have been targeted because they are transgender young people and it takes away their parents' autonomy to work with their physicians and make the best decisions for themselves," Dickson said.

“We’ve had at least six trans youth attempt suicide just since the time they heard these bills were filed. It is absolutely horrible.”

“That gender-affirming medical care that they are trying to take away from him is that thing that has allowed him to be exactly who he knows he is, exactly who I know who he is, in a way that he wasn’t able to before and he would not be able to if this ban actually took effect," Joanna said.

Arkansas Republican Sen. Alan Clark, the sponsor of the bill, claims the bill is necessary for protection. He denied our interview request but made these comments on the Senate floor about gender-affirming treatment for youth:

“At best, experimental, and at worst, a serious threat to a child’s welfare," Clark said.

Teenagers like Dylan couldn’t disagree more.

“It’s not just something that we wake up one day and say, 'hey I want to do this. Because that seems fun.' No it’s not fun," Dylan said.

“People think that these kids come to their parents and say, 'hey, I’m transgender, I want hormones,' and we go, 'sweet,' and we go out the next day and we get them for him, without seeking out the advice and the expertise of those in the field. That’s not what happened," Joanna said.

Clark claims that children are too young to make this decision before turning 18 years old.

“But this is certainly not the answer, it is not the answer today. This does not stop anyone at 18 from doing whatever they want to do. But it does protect children from making mistakes that they will have a very difficult time coming back from.”

But Joanna says age is not a factor when it comes to knowing who you are.

“I don’t need to be 18 before I know who I am and these kids don’t either," Joanna said.

Arkansas' bill is pushing families out of the state they call home.

“At this point in my life, I have been seeing more families who are thinking about and who are leaving the state of Arkansas because of this bill and other anti-trans-legislation that was filed and passed this session," Dickson said

Former Republican state Rep. Dan Douglas has voted for some anti-trans bills in the past.

“I would have voted against this bill," Douglas said. “I don’t think the legislator and some of these very extreme bills and these very extreme votes really represent the accepting nature of the state of Arkansas.”

This, he says, is too black and white. It needs exceptions.

“Whenever legislation gets in the way of physician patient treatment and decisions, then we are interfering and we're going too far," Douglass said.

“The government doesn’t have any business getting in the middle of medical between parents, patients, and medical professionals, it’s not their lane," Joanna said.

Arkansas is the first state to make this move, but according to the ACLU, similar bills have been or are being considered in 19 other states.

"Every major medical organization in the nation opposed this law," Dickson said.

As families like Dylan’s fight against this, they remind us: this isn’t just policy, this is their lives.

“We are real people with real feelings," Dylan said.

“He is every bit the boy that any other boy I know is," Joanna said.