Abortion in Ohio

It won't be easy, says Dougherty, but he's cautiously optimistic. More than 250 supporters are there at the statehouse with him, and their message is clear: The Ohio Prevention First Act is the kind of law that everyone can back. "It's not Democratic, it's not Republican," says Dougherty. "It's not pro-choice or anti-choice. Instead, it's proactive. It focuses on preventing unplanned pregnancies." The bill would require better sex education for teens, improved family planning services, guaranteed insurance coverage for prescription birth control, and other measures.

The bill would also, Dougherty says, "counter some of the really ... wrong legislation" — including HB 228, the abortion ban bill heard in the Ohio House Health Committee on June 13 — "that we are up against here in Ohio. Some people think that banning an outcome, abortion, is a solution. But you really can't ban an outcome. You have to address the issues that lead to that outcome — lack of access, lack of education, lack of funding, and so forth. And that's what we want to do with our bill — attack the problems that cause a need for abortion in the first place."

Reproductive Health Care in Ohio

Ohio Gov. Robert Taft (R) is anti-choice. The Ohio House and Senate are both mostly anti-choice. And according to the Guttmacher Institute, 91 percent of all Ohio counties, home to 50 percent of the state's women, have no abortion provider.

To make matter's worse, a number of state laws severely restrict access to abortion. Minors, for example, must get parental or judicial consent before undergoing the procedure. A mandatory counseling and delay law requires women who seek abortions to first listen to an in-person lecture by a physician regarding the nature of the abortion procedure, its medical risks, and the likely gestational age of the fetus. The woman must also review state-prepared materials describing the probable physical characteristics of the fetus.

After counseling, a woman must wait 24 hours before she has the abortion. Lisa Van Divender, executive vice president and COO of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, one of nine Planned Parenthood affiliates spread across the state, says the law, in practical terms, means patients must make two doctor visits instead of one. "They have to come first for a consult, and then they come again for the abortion," she says. "And that's tough for anyone if they work or they're home with their kids or if they have to travel. For some, it's more than just an inconvenience."

The list of restrictions doesn't end there:

• Public funds cannot be used to help low-income women pay for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the woman's life is in danger.
• State employee health insurance is also prohibited from covering abortion except in the cases listed above.
• Public funds going to the state Department of Health cannot be used for abortion counseling or referrals outside of medical emergencies.

If HB 228, the abortion ban bill, ever passes, the laws currently on Ohio's books may pale by comparison. "The abortion ban bill is probably the most restrictive abortion bill in the country right now," says Dougherty. "It allows no exceptions whatsoever. It's a ban on abortion, period. The good news is we've been assured by the Speaker's office that the bill will not move. But experience tells me that once you get into the lame-duck session after the election, all bets are off. The bill may not move, but the concept could move into an amendment to another bill that is moving. For now all we can do is be on the watch and try to be prepared."

Another bill under consideration, HB 469, would allow pharmacists to legally refuse to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception (EC). "It's had a few hearings and has been off the committee calendar for the past couple of months, so hopefully it has breathed its last breath," says Dougherty. "But it almost became law last session because it was added as an amendment to a bill that was flying through the legislature. It came within a hair of becoming law."

A Tradition of Choice

Despite the current challenges, Ohio's pro-choice activists feel confident that their network of supporters will eventually pull through. "We've provided reproductive health care services in this state for 75 years," says Lisa Perks, executive director of Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio. "We have a long history here."

© 2006 Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. All rights reserved.