Bill Text: OH HCR34 | 2011-2012 | 129th General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: To recognize the week of January 22-28, 2012 as

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-24 - To Health & Aging [HCR34 Detail]

Download: Ohio-2011-HCR34-Introduced.html

---

As Introduced

129th General Assembly Regular Session 2011-2012

H. C. R. No. 34

Representative Antonio 

Cosponsors: Representatives Hagan, R., Celeste, Stinziano, Garland, Boyd, Foley 

---

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

To recognize the week of January 22-28, 2012 as

1

Reproductive Rights Awareness Week to encourage

2

public awareness, conversation, and support for

3

reproductive rights and justice.

4

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO
(THE SENATE CONCURRING):

WHEREAS, Women comprise more than half of the population of	5
the United States of America and are solely responsible for	6
childbearing; and	7

WHEREAS, Women who plan their pregnancies are more likely to	8
seek prenatal care, improving their own health and the health of	9
their children; and	10

WHEREAS, The United States of America ranks 30th in the world	11
in its rate of maternal mortality and has one of the highest rates	12
of maternal mortality among all developed nations; and	13

WHEREAS, Family planning services improve health care	14
outcomes and wellness for women and families, access to family	15
planning is directly linked to declines in maternal and infant	16
mortality rates, and women who do not receive prenatal care are	17
three to four times more likely to die after a live birth than are	18
women who have received even minimal prenatal care; and	19

WHEREAS, Contraception enables women to better prevent	20
unintended pregnancies and plan for pregnancy when they do want to	21
have a child, and publicly funded contraceptive services and	22
supplies prevent nearly two million unintended pregnancies each	23
year in the United States; and	24

WHEREAS, Nearly half of all unintended pregnancies end in	25
abortion, and abortion rates in the United States increase during	26
times when contraception is less accessible to low income women;	27
and	28

WHEREAS, The United States has one of the highest rates of	29
unintended pregnancy among the world's developed nations, half of	30
all the pregnancies in the United States are unintended, and half	31
of unintended pregnancies occur in women who are not using	32
contraceptives; and	33

WHEREAS, In addition to the primary purpose of allowing women	34
to plan and prepare for pregnancy, other health benefits of	35
contraception include reduced risk of endometrial and ovarian	36
cancers, ectopic pregnancy, iron deficiency anemia related to	37
heavy menstruation, osteoporosis, ovarian cysts, and pelvic	38
inflammatory disease; and	39

WHEREAS, Racial and ethnic health disparities are	40
particularly pronounced in reproductive health, including	41
disparities in rates of contraception usage, unintended	42
pregnancies, maternal mortality, and sexually transmitted	43
infections; and	44

WHEREAS, These racial and ethnic health disparities reveal	45
significant barriers to access to sexual health care (including	46
contraception), medical care, and medically accurate sexuality	47
education; and	48

WHEREAS, A majority of American voters believe that matters	49
related to women's reproductive rights, including contraception	50
and abortion, are personal issues that should be decided by women	51
with their families, health care providers, or clergy members; now	52
therefore be it	53

RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 129th General Assembly	54
of the State of Ohio, in adopting this resolution, recognize the	55
week of January 22-28, 2012 as Reproductive Rights Awareness Week	56
to encourage public awareness, conversation, and support for	57
reproductive rights and justice; and be it further	58

RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives	59
transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the news	60
media of Ohio.	61