Fedor to introduce bill that includes birth control, sex ed

COLUMBUS, Ohio - State Sen. Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) and State Rep. Tyrone Yates (D-Cincinnati) will hold a press conference Tuesday, September 29 to introduce the Ohio Prevention First Act.

According to a press release by NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Ohio Prevention First Act will help women prevent unintended pregnancies. It ensures that insurance companies cover prescription birth control like any other prescription. NARAL also said the bill "improves women's access to emergency contraception and ensures students receive comprehensive, medically accurate sex education."

The article cites Fedor as saying access to emergency contraception as well as information about how to protect oneself are actually aimed at reducing Ohio's number of abortions.

The report by the Coalition for Family Health cites laws and policies that the group says are among the most restrictive in the nation and a statewide shortage of publicly supported family planning clinics, the 17-page report examines the causes and effects of what it refers to as a "dismal" record. The coalition says that Ohio ranks 48th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of contraceptive access, and Ohio's $50 per woman-in-need spending level is less than half the national average.

Opposition to the bill

The group Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati said on their web site that the Prevention First Act:

    * Pours millions of tax dollars into the abortion industry. For example, Prevention First increases taxpayer funding for the Title X family planning program--which provides significant funds to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers--from $300 million in 2008 to $700 million or more.
    * PFA would also write Title X family planning into law, rather than the annually renewed program it currently is, and permanently include "family planning services" as part of the Medicaid program (something President Obama removed from the economic stimulus package as a concession to opponents).
    * Guts funding for successful sexual abstinence until marriage education programs and replaces them with "comprehensive" sex education programs supported by Planned Parenthood and similar organizations
    * Creates a government-sponsored program to promote "emergency contraception"
    * Denies federal funding for all hospitals (including religious affiliated) that do not provide emergency contraception for rape victims
    * Requires that all health insurance programs that cover prescriptions cover abortifacient contraceptives.

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=11215741

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