Reproductive healthcare access is already such a battle in America, and unfortunately, it’s no easier in Athens.
Not only do people worry about abortion access, but also about where to go for pregnancy tests, STD check-ups and basic female care. This has become a real fear for many women with President Donald Trump now in office because of his policies to ban such care.
Ohio citizens voted on Issue 1 in November 2023, allowing state residents to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions. According to Planned Parenthood, however, abortion is still illegal after 22 weeks in Ohio.
Athens is a town heavily made up of college students, and if a college woman gets pregnant here, where would she go? The ACLU lists six clinics in Ohio where someone can get an abortion, none of which are near Athens. The closest clinic is an hour and a half away, in Columbus. This is a serious problem because not everyone has the means to drive to get the care that should already be provided to them where they live.
However, there are reproductive care centers in Athens, such as Campus Care at Ohio University, Planned Parenthood and a few others, but none of these offer abortion services.
These facilities can help with care for STDs, and they offer birth control, emergency contraception, pregnancy tests and other vaccines. They also offer free counseling, which is just as important when going through these medical hurdles.
Athens’ Planned Parenthood website states: “Abortion is legal in Ohio, but isn’t offered at this health center.” Despite this, they do still have information on their page about what kind of abortions can be offered at their other clinics. For example, other clinics can provide an abortion pill up to 11 weeks into the pregnancy, which simply ends the pregnancy through oral medication. The patient could also get an in-clinic abortion up to 22 weeks, which is a procedure done by a trained doctor.
The Planned Parenthood website also provides a phone number for further information on where someone can go to get this help, and they have much more in-depth information about how each procedure works. Although this is very helpful, it still cannot be ignored that there is no way to get abortion care directly in Athens.
It’s also discouraging to know there is a place in Athens called the Pregnancy Resource Center, yet they offer anything but resources when it comes to abortion. On their website, they say it’s important to care for you and they don’t want you to feel alone, but if you go to them, they make you feel isolated.
In a Yelp review, Allison, a past patient at the PRC, said, “This place's goal is to coerce you into keeping your pregnancy, no matter the best choice for you.” She then goes on to say the PRC is not a legitimate medical practice with your best interest at heart. Not everyone feels this way, but this establishment tries to talk you out of an abortion rather than helping you get one.
It’s already hard enough for women to access trustworthy abortion and other sexual health care in this country, so it’s frustrating that it’s made even harder in Athens. College women should not have to fear for their healthcare when they’re at school where they are supposed to be learning and growing.
Kendall Timms is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Kendall Timms about her column? Email her at kt353720@ohio.edu.
