Updated 04.18.08 In 1973, the
U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that the state could not
interfere with a woman’s decision to obtain an abortion unless it had a
compelling reason to do so. Despite this ruling, states have been
interfering ever since by implementing restrictions such as mandatory
parental consent laws, waiting periods, and biased counseling.
In March 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released
an alarming study showing that 1 in 4 teen girls has a sexually
transmitted disease. Even more troubling is that the rate nearly doubles
among African-American teen girls. Read the CDC report
here.
These frightening statistics show that abstinence only policies are
failing our young people. Only through comprehensive prevention services
and education can we protect the reproductive health of our communities.
The Ohio legislature is considering a bill, the
Prevention First Act, that would require
medically accurate sex education and restore funding for prevention
services.
 What’s Happening Nationally
In April 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Federal Abortion
Ban, also known as the so-called “partial birth abortion” ban, the
first-ever federal law restricting abortion practice beginning as early
as 13 weeks in pregnancy. The case is Gonzales v. Carhart (Case
No. 05-380). This ban marks the first time the U.S. Supreme Court
refused to require protection for women’s health, striking a devastating
blow to reproductive rights and private choice.
READ MORE»
In March 2007, Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Senator Frank
Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the Responsible Education About Life (REAL)
Act, a bill designed to ensure that young people receive complete,
medically accurate information about reproductive health. The REAL Act
would be the first federal program devoted to funding comprehensive sex
education, providing states with funding for programs offering
age-appropriate information on both abstinence and contraception.
READ MORE»
What's happening in Ohio
Ohio Legislation
In 2007, a bipartisan group of Ohio legislators introduced the Ohio
Prevention First Act, a bill that will help prevent unintended
pregnancies and reduce the need for abortion by increasing access to
contraceptives and medically accurate sex education. The companion bills
are HB 251 in the House and SB 179 in the Senate. Now more than one year
after the bills were introduced, the Prevention First Act has only had
one hearing. Please contact your state legislators today and urge them
to hold hearings on the Prevention First Act. It's past time for Ohio to
have a meaningful discussion about prevention.
READ MORE»
Ohio Litigation
Planned Parenthood of Cincinnati v. Taft
The ACLU of Ohio and Planned Parenthood achieved victory in a lawsuit
challenging House Bill 126. The law regulates Mifepristone, or RU-486,
requiring that it be distributed exactly as approved by the FDA with no
off label use, potentially mandating that doctors prescribe up to three
times the needed doses at greater cost to provider and patient. In
September 2006, a federal court in Cincinnati permanently blocked the
law, because it is unconstitutionally vague, subjecting doctors to
felony charges and loss of their medical license without clear
guidelines about what conduct is prohibited.
READ
MORE»
Governor Strickland has opted not to pursue the appeal to the Sixth
Circuit. However, the Attorney General and prosecutors have chosen to
continue pursuing the appeal, thus the case is still scheduled to go
through the appeal process.
Cincinnati Women’s Services v. Taft
As a result of a court decision in this case, the law governing teens 17 and younger seeking abortions has
changed.
Young women 17 and under are now required to obtain the consent of a
parent, custodian or guardian in order get an abortion. If a parent will
not consent to an abortion, the minor can seek a judicial bypass.
Get Active!
Contact your
legislators on reproductive rights, or
write letters to
them.
Resources
For more about abortion, sexuality education, fetal rights, or
contraceptive equity, visit the
national ACLU website.
Timeline of important reproductive rights cases decided by the U.S.
Supreme Court
The ACLU of Ohio publication,
Your
Health and the Law: A Guide for Teens, contains information about
the reproductive rights of young people.
Read Reproductive Rights press releases and news articles in our
News Center.
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