For more than 90 years, Planned Parenthood has helped women and families prevent unintended pregnancy and plan strong, healthy families.
On May 30, 2007, the bi-partisan Ohio Prevention First Act (House Bill 251 and Senate Bill 179) was introduced in the Ohio General Assembly. This landmark legislation focuses on the prevention of unintended pregnancies through comprehensive sex education for teens including abstinence, and affordable, accessible birth control.
The Ohio Prevention First Act would:
- earmark existing state funds for family planning purposes;
- require insurance plans that cover prescriptions to also cover birth control;
- require pharmacies to fill all in-stock legal prescriptions and to dispense all over-the-counter medications;
- ensure access to emergency contraception in all emergency rooms for sexual assault victims;
- ensure that Ohio's state funded sexual education programs provide young people with the information they need to make safe, informed, responsible choices; and
- launch a teen pregnancy prevention grant program through the Ohio Department of Health to award grants to public and private entities to establish or expand programs geared toward at-risk youth.
The Senate version of the Ohio Prevention First Act (SB 179) received its first hearing in the Senate Health, Human Services, and Aging Committee on June 27, 2007. Sen. Sue Morano provided sponsor testimony on the bill and answered questions from her colleagues on the committee.
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