Monday, May 7, 2007
News Ohio: A backwards state for emergency contraception
Posted by Pete Kotz on Mon, May 7, 2007 at 3:03 PM
In 2005, a survey revealed that of 151 Ohio hospitals, only two would give out the morning-after pill to women who called in looking for it -- even if they had a prescription. One in four even denied the drug for rape victims. For women, the results were surprising and appalling.
“I knew it was inevitable some hospitals would refuse to prescribe it," Kellie Copeland, the executive director of NARAL, said at the time. But even she was “horrified” at the results.
Two years later, Copeland and her staff conducted a follow-up to see if policies had changed. The results were not what she hoped for.
Today, 56 percent of hospitals that responded said they would not provide emergency contraception. Seven percent still refuse to give the pill out to rape victims.
“I hoped we would have made a bit more progress than that,” Copeland says. She believes that hospital employees are not up to date on the latest research and laws, touting the pill’s safety and effectiveness – including the FDA’s decision last year to allow emergency contraception to be sold over the counter.
What this shows, says Copeland, is that “there needs to be a mandate by the state government that at minimum when a woman gets raped she should be able to get emergency contraception.” – Rebecca Meiser
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Shame on the hospitals of Ohio. All women of all ages have the right to choose.
Posted by claire whelan
on May 14, 2007 at 11:12 AM
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Every state that loves Bush has a problem with womens reproductive rights! We were trying to find a place to move for our son with autism. Ohio has the highest traffic ticket writing of the US. Ohio hates women and I have two young daughters. Ohio loves Bush. IN rural Ohio, they harrass parents with disabled children. I best never move to Ohio.
Posted by charlene port
on May 27, 2007 at 1:43 PM
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