Second Hearing- Ohioans finally get to show their support!
It was a long day, and the hearing went almost to 9pm, but after more than three years of waiting we finally got a chance to bring supporters of the Ohio Prevention First Act before the House Health committee to make the case on why this bill is so important to the citizens of our state. We brought a wide range of people to testify- from pastors to doctors, mental health professionals, high school students and sexual assault survivors. They all were amazing and helped us show the committee that there is broad support for this policy and that action needs to happen immediately to pass the bill. Of course, anti-choice legislators were not just going to back off and let us deliver our testimony. Questions from anti-choice members included asking how we thought that "promoting" sexual activity through comprehensive sex education would reduce the rate of STD's and teen pregnancy. Of course he thinks that keeping students from learning about contraception and safer sex practices through abstinence-only-until-marriage sex education is a better way to achieve lower levels of STD's and teen pregnancy. But we know the stats are on our side. Abstinence-only is a failed policy and it needs to stop being the state policy of Ohio. At one point one anti-choice member of the committee actually said that the portion of the bill that would ensure comprehensive medical treatment for survivors of sexual assault would "destroy families" and asked why we wanted to do that. It is still going to be a tough road ahead, but we know we are on the right side of this, we know that our facts will hold, and that the Ohio Prevention First Act is critical policy that will increase the health and well being of women and families across our state. You can read for yourself the amazing testimony that was delivered in committee on November 18, 2009.
| 
