Ohio

Print

Ohio received $7,162,609 in federal funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in Fiscal Year 2003.¹

Ohio Sexuality Education Law

Ohio does not require schools to teach sexuality education. However, the board of education of each school district must establish a health curriculum for "all schools under their control," that includes information regarding STDs and HIV/AIDS. This information must emphasize that "abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is one hundred per cent effective against unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and the sexual transmission of a virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome." Further, all materials and instruction regarding STDs must:

1. Stress that students should abstain from sexual activity until after marriage;
2. Teach the potential physical, psychological, emotional, and social side effects of participating in sexual activity outside of marriage;
3. Teach that conceiving children out of wedlock is likely to have harmful consequences for the child, the child's parents, and society;
4. Stress that sexually transmitted diseases are serious possible hazards of sexual activity;
5. Advise students of the laws pertaining to financial responsibility of parents to children born in and out of wedlock; and
6. Advise students of the circumstances under which it is criminal to have sexual contact with a person under the age of sixteen pursuant to section 2907.04 of the Revised Code.

These points closely mirror the federal definition of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

Upon written request of a parent or guardian, a student can be excused from taking any or all of this instruction. This is referred to as an opt-out policy.

See Ohio Revised Code Sections 3313.60, 3313.60.11, and 3301-80-01.

Recent Legislation

SIECUS is not aware of any recent legislation in Ohio regarding sexuality education.

Events of Note

School Rescinds Punishment of Student for Wearing Anti-Abortion Shirt²
February 2003; Chardon, OH

A high school junior in Chardon, OH, a suburb of Cleveland, was given detention after refusing to remove an anti-abortion sweatshirt or turn it inside-out. The request came after two other students complained to school officials.

The student's shirt read, "Abortion is homicide," on the front and "You will not silence my message. You will not mock my God. You will stop the killing of my generation. Rock for Life" on the back. School policy forbids clothing items that might interfere with the educational environment.

The next day the school revoked the detention and instead agreed to let the student and the two students who were offended work out a solution with the school's peer mediation group. This discussion allowed the students to share their feelings on the subject. After the discussion, the student said that out of respect for those troubled by his shirt he would only wear it on days when there was some sort of national pro-life event.

The school said it made its decision partly to avoid taking sides on the issue of abortion. Lawyers representing Rock for Life, the company from which the shirt had been purchased, said that they had been contemplating intervening in the case if the school had decided differently.

School Board Candidate Campaigns on Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage³
November 2001; Toledo, OH

A candidate for the Toledo Board of Education focused heavily on abstinence-only-until-marriage in her campaign. The candidate decided to run for the school board after learning that the existing sexuality education curriculum included discussions about homosexuality. She declared, "They're coming out of the closet and I'm coming out saying I'm opposed to it." The candidate said that she supports an abstinence-only-until-marriage approach, stating her concern that "we are living in a society that is saying 'whatever, tolerance, and to be nonjudgmental'" and her faith in "what the Bible states in regard to sexual purity, which clearly states that sex outside of marriage is wrong."

She explained that her daughter, a fifth-grader, was home-schooled for one year and currently attends a parochial school because of the public school district's sexuality education program. Her goal is to see schools return to the basics out of concern that "we're getting away from what schools were established for: reading, writing, 'rithmetic."

Ohio Returns $1,000,000 in Prevention Funding Over HIV Prevention Controversy
2000

A two-year debate that focused on an HIV-prevention program ultimately resulted in the Ohio Department of Education returning a grant of nearly $1 million to the CDC.

In the fall of 1998, Ohio lawmakers became concerned about allegedly explicit information in a training for HIV-prevention educators. This information included data regarding condoms and a handout explaining common forms of sexual activity and anatomy. In response, legislators passed an amendment that "froze" the CDC funds. This prohibited the Ohio Department of Education from using or dispensing the funding until legislators were convinced that it would not go toward instruction "in how to teach the use of condoms to Ohio school students."

In January of 2000, the legislators held two days of hearings. During these hearings, a compromise was almost reached under which educators would promise to emphasize abstinence. Unfortunately, some legislators were unhappy with this compromise and prohibited a vote from being taken at that time. A motion in April 2000 to hold a vote on the issue failed. As a result, the CDC funding expired without Ohio using it.

The HIV-prevention education piece was in fact only ten percent of the nearly $1,000,000 grant. The majority of this funding was intended for use on other health prevention strategies, including the prevention of heart disease, cancer, and tobacco use; the promotion of physical exercise; and dental services.⁴

Ohio's Youth: Statistical Information of Note⁵

• In 2003, 43% of female high school students and 40% of male high school students in Ohio reported ever having had sexual intercourse compared to 45% of female high school students and 48% of male high school students nationwide.
• In 2003, 4% of female high school students and 8% of male high school students in Ohio reported having had sexual intercourse before age 13 compared to 4% of female high school students and 10% of male high school students nationwide.
• In 2003, 13% of female high school students and 13% of male high school students in Ohio reported having had four or more lifetime sexual partners compared to 11% of female high school students and 18% of male high school students nationwide.
• In 2003, 32% of female high school students and 28% of male high school students in Ohio reported being currently sexually active (defined as having had sexual intercourse in the three months prior to the survey) compared to 35% of females and 34% of males nationwide.
• In 2003, among those high school students who reported being currently sexually active, 19% of females and 29% of males in Ohio reported having used alcohol or drugs the last time they had sexual intercourse compared to 21% of females and 30% of males nationwide.
• In 2003, among those high school students who reported being currently sexually active, 53% of females and 68% of males in Ohio reported having used condoms the last time they had sexual intercourse compared to 57% of females and 69% of males nationwide.
• In 2003, among those high school students who reported being currently sexually active, 30% of females and 22% of males in Ohio reported having used birth control pills the last time they had sexual intercourse compared to 21% of females and 13% of males nationwide.
• In 2003, 5% of female high school students and 3% of male high school students in Ohio reported ever having been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant compared to 5% of female high school students and 4% of male high school students nationwide.
• In 2003, 89% of high school students in Ohio reported having been taught about AIDS/HIV in school compared to 88% of high school students nationwide.
• In 2000, Ohio's abortion rate was 17 per 1,000 women ages 15-19 compared to a teen abortion rate of 24 per 1,000 nationwide.⁶
• In 2001, Ohio's birth rate was 43 per 1,000 women ages 15-19 compared to a teen birth rate of 45 per 1,000 nationwide.⁷
• In 2001, there were 279 live births to young women ages 10 to 14 in Ohio.⁸
• In 2001, there were 5,251 live births to young women ages 15 to 17. in Ohio.⁹
• In 2001, there were 11,764 live births to young women ages 18 to 19 in Ohio.¹⁰

Title V Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding

Ohio received $2,103,890 in federal Title V funds in Fiscal Year 2003. The Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage grant requires states to provide three state-raised dollars or the equivalent in services for every four federal dollars received. The state match can be provided in part or in full by local groups.

Ohio matches the federal funds with $455,000 of state funds.

The Office of Women's Health Initiatives distributes the funding among 28 sub-grantees. In addition, $45,000 of combined state and federal funds goes towards administrative costs.

Special Projects of Regional and National Significance-Community Based Abstinence Education (SPRANS-CBAE) and Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) Grantees

There are nine SPRANS-CBAE grantees in Ohio: Abstinence Educators' Network, ATM Education, Inc., Elizabeth's New Life Center, Heartbeats of Licking County, Operation Keepsake, Pregnancy Decision Health Center, St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center, Tri County Right to Life Educational Foundation, and Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department. There are four AFLA grantees in Ohio: Bowling Green State University, Catholic Social Services of Miami Valley, St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center, and Tri County Right to Life Educational Foundation.

Eight of the grantees are either county departments of health or school boards. Ten are crisis pregnancy centers.

The Abstinence Educators' Network (AEN) receives both SPRANS ($800,000) and Title V funding ($145,920). They have been funded by Title V since 1998 and by SPRANS since 2001. The Title V funding is used to conduct "train the trainers," student/adult mentoring, and parenting workshops. The parenting workshops are designed to help parents realize "the failures and limitations of birth control

AEN's SPRANS money is used to fund the "Ohio Abstinence Campaign," which furthers the work of the Title V grant. The AEN website (http://www.abednet.org) contains information about STDs. Each section states that condoms are "virtually useless." In the AIDS section, it states that having sex and using a condom is like "playing Russian Roulette." The site also includes gender-specific sections, each of which has a top ten list of reasons to stay abstinent.

In the "For Guys Only" section, the list includes:

• You could destroy a girl just for your own sexual desires.
• You could cheat yourself out of friendships with the opposite sex.

In the "For Girls Only" section, the list includes:

• Messing your future marriage relationship with painful memories or illness or infertility.
• Broken heart that does not mend quickly or easily.

The "For Girls Only" section also states:

Even if you really love your boyfriend, it doesn't make sex okay. Most often, girls end up feeling used and unsatisfied, while the guy will feel at least physically fulfilled, but probably not emotionally fulfilled.

Federal and State Funding for Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs in FY 2003

Title V Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Coordinator

Valerie Huber
Ohio Department of Health
Office of Abstinence Education
246 North High St., 7th Floor
PO Box 118
Columbus, OH 43216
Phone: (614) 728-4761

Ohio Organizations that Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education

Family Planning Association of Northeast Ohio
54 S. State St., #203
Painseville, OH 44077
Phone: (440) 352-0608

Ohio NARAL
614 Superior Ave., NW, Suite 608
Rockefeller Building
Cleveland, OH 44113
Phone: (216) 522-0169
http://www.naralohio.org

Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
P.O. Box 82204
Columbus, OH 43085
Phone: (614) 436-7213

Planned Parenthood of Summit, Portage, and Medina Counties
444 W. Exchange St.
Akron, OH 44302
Phone: (330) 535-2674
http://www.ppinfo.org

Ohio Organizations that Oppose Comprehensive Sexuality Education

Abstinence Educators' Network (AEN) Inc.
P.O. Box 531
Mason, OH 45040
http://www.abednet.org

Abstinence Resource Centre
211 S. Main St., Suite 800
Dayton, OH 45402
http://www.getthetruth.net

Christian Coalition of Ohio
P.O. Box 852
Westfield Center, Ohio 44251
Phone: (330) 887-1922
http://www.ccohio.org

Citizens For Community Values
11175 Reading Rd., Suite 103
Cincinnati, OH 45241
Phone: (513) 733-5775
http://www.ccv.org

Ohio Right to Life Society
2238 S. Hamilton Rd., Suite 200
Columbus, OH 43232
Phone: (614) 864-5200
http://www.ohiolife.org

Ohio Roundtable
11288 Alameda Dr.
Strongsville, OH 44149
Phone: (440) 572-1796
http://www.ohioroundtable.org

Newspapers in Ohio

Akron Beacon Journal
Ann Mezger
Medical/Health Editor
44 E. Exchange St.
Akron, OH 44328
Phone: (330) 996-3586

The Blade
Laura Lemmon
Community News Editor
541 N. Superior St.
Toledo, OH 43660
Phone: (419) 724-6089

The Cincinnati Enquirer
Allen Howard
Community News Columnist
312 Elm St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: (513) 768-8362

The Cincinnati Post
Wayne Perry
Medical/Health Editor
125 E. Court St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: (513) 352-2828

The Columbus Dispatch
Tiffany Latta
Community News Reporter
34 S. 3rd St.
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 461-8759

Dayton Daily News
Jana Collier
Medical/Health Editor
45 S Ludlow St.
Dayton, OH 45402
Phone: (937) 225-2441

The News-Herald
Larece Galer
Community News Assistant Editor
7085 Mentor Ave.
Willoughby, OH 44094
Phone: (440) 951-0000

The Plain Dealer
Jesse Tinsley
Community News Reporter
1801 Superior Ave. E.
Cleveland, OH 44114
Phone: (216) 999-4889

The Repository
Gary Brown
Medical/Health Editor
500 Market Ave. S.
Canton, OH 44702
Phone: (330) 580-8303

The Vindicator
Mike McGowan
Medical/Health Editor
107 Vindicator Sq.
Youngstown, OH 44503
Phone: (330) 747-1471

References

1. This refers to the fiscal year for the Federal Government which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2003 begins on October 1, 2002 and ends on September 30, 2003.
2. "Student Gets Detention for Anti-Abortion Sweatshirt," Associated Press, February 4, 2003.
3. S. Svoboda, "Board Hopeful Berry Criticizes Sex Education," The Blade, Toledo, OH, Oct. 22, 2001.
4. M. Kempner, "Fewer Debates About Sexuality Education as Abstinence-Only Programs Take Foothold," SIECUS Report, 29, no 6 (2001), pp. 4-16.
5. Unless otherwise cited, all statistical information comes from: J. Grunbaum, et. al., "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 2003," Surveillance Summaries, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 53, no.SS-2, May 21, 2004, pp. 1-95. Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs/.
6. U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics: Overall Trends, Trends by Race and Ethnicity and State-by-State Information, (New York: Alan Guttmacher Institute, February, 2004). Available online at www.guttmacher.org.
7. A. Papillo, et.al., Facts at a Glance, (Washington, DC: Child Trends, February, 2004).
8. For more information, please see the Ohio Department of Health's health Information Warehouse at http://dwhouse.odh.ohio.gov.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.