COALITION FOR FAMILY HEALTH ENDORSES INTRODUCTION OF OHIO PREVENTION FIRST ACT
Representatives of Ohio’s Coalition for Family Health applauded today’s introduction of legislation that backers say would prevent unplanned pregnancies and reduce the demand for abortion across the state. The Ohio Prevention First Act (OPFA) sponsored by Senator Teresa Fedor (D- Toledo) and Representative Tyrone Yates (D- Cincinnati), offers what Coalition members call a comprehensive, common ground approach to a public health crisis that currently accounts for one-half of all Ohio births. In addition to expanding access to family planning resources, the bill includes provisions that would provide comprehensive, medically-accurate sex education; require hospital emergency rooms to provide emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault; and mandate insurance parity for FDA-approved prescription contraception. This provision, one of three expected to be introduced as stand-alone bills in the coming weeks, would prevent insurance companies from charging a higher co-payment or offering reduced coverage for contraception that those payments and coverage associated with other prescription drugs.
The bill’s introduction comes one week after the Coalition for Family Health released a white paper that found Ohio to be 48th among the fifty states and the District of Columbia in terms of contraceptive access and identifies the state’s $50 per woman-in-need spending less than half the national average. Citing laws and policies that are among the most restrictive in the nation and a statewide shortage of publicly supported family planning clinics, the 17-page Report on Access to Family Planning Resources in Ohio documents in detail the causes and effects of Ohio’s dismal record.
Coalition spokeswoman Judi Wolf of the National Council of Jewish Women, the convening organization for the 32-member coalition, identified OPFA as the Coalition’s legislative priority and vowed the groups’ commitment to the “landmark” bill’s passage. “Prevention First offers a practical, viable antidote to the epidemic of unintended pregnancies. It offers affordable birth control and appropriate health education. It encourages responsible behavior. Prevention First will reduce teen pregnancy and it will save taxpayers money.”
Formed one year ago, the Coalition for Family Health provides its member organizations—public and private organizations (for profit and nonprofit) and government agencies—with an organized voice to advocate for (1) public policies and practices that promote the prevention of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections/diseases and (2) the rights of each individual and family to safe, legal, and accessible reproductive healthcare services. Highlighting the diversity and the breadth of the Coalition’s growing membership, Wolf noted, “Our 32 members represent rural, urban, and suburban Ohio and encompass everyone from organizations that serve a statewide constituency to those that operate within a single neighborhood. Together, we intend to impact policy and improve the health and well-being of women, children, and families across Ohio.”
For information about the Ohio Prevention First Act or to download a copy of the Coalition’s white paper, please visit the Coalition for Family Health online at www.coalitionforfamilyhealth.org.
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Contact: Joanie O’Brien, M+R Strategic Services
216.325.0923 or jobrien@mrss.com
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