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Groups call for more sex ed, insurance for birth control

2 state senators to introduce bill in October requiring comprehensive classes.

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By Laura A. Bischoff, Staff Writer 10:10 PM Sunday, September 27, 2009

COLUMBUS — Ohio is one of the least accommodating states when it comes to access to birth control, and nearly half of the babies born in Ohio are from unintended pregnancies, according to a report from the Coalition for Family Health.

A coalition of 31 women’s groups and health organizations wants to change those statistics by getting schools to embrace comprehensive sex education and forcing insurers to pay for contraceptives.

“We do have a lot of work to do,” said state Sen. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo.

Fedor, a former school teacher, and state Sen. Sue Morano, D-Lorain, a registered nurse, plan to introduce the Prevention First Act in the GOP-controlled Senate in October.

It’ll be the third time Fedor has tried to push through legislation that would:

• Require sex education classes to cover abstinence, contraception and condoms, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS.

• Ensure access to emergency contraceptives in all hospital emergency rooms for rape victims.

• Mandate insurance companies cover contraceptives if they cover other prescription drugs.

• Require pharmacies to dispense prescribed and over-the-counter drugs without delay.

Each measure is a political hot potato. For example, some pharmacists have refused to dispense the “morning after pill,” saying it’s tantamount to abortion and against their religious views. And insurance companies and business groups routinely oppose mandated coverage, saying it drives up the cost of health insurance.

Crystal Ward Allen, executive director of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, said the first step to protecting Ohio’s children is making sure people are ready and willing to be parents. She said one-third of open child welfare cases involve children born to teen parents, and that those kids are more likely to go into foster care and more likely to become teen parents themselves.

“You can see how the cycle continues,” Ward Allen said.

However, the General Assembly has long put up roadblocks to comprehensive sex education. In 1999, the state adopted a law requiring districts to craft health education that stresses abstinence only; and in 2001, Ohio adopted a law barring any statewide standards for health education without legislative approval.

Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, who controls what bills reach floor votes, was less than enthusiastic about the Prevention First Act. “We try to always keep an open mind to bills introduced,” he said. “I think it’ll get one hearing.”

To read the report, go to www.coalitionforfamilyhealth.org/

Contact this reporter at (614)224-1624 or lbischoff@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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