Ohio State University Holds ‘Sex Week,’ Calls Crisis Pregnancy Centers as ‘Dangerous’
Ohio State University (OSU) is set to host a week-long series of events known as “Sex Week,” organized by the student group Student Advocates for Sexual Health Awareness (SASHA). However, the festivities have sparked controversy as the university encourages students to send Valentine’s cards to abortion providers while condemning pregnancy centers as “dangerous.”
Scheduled to take place from February 11 to February 17, Sex Week at OSU includes several events on each day, including educational sessions such as “Sex and Disability 101,” a panel centered around what constitutes “healthy masculinity,” a course that teaches students how to use sex toys and many more. The event week also encourages students to write Valentine’s cards to abortion providers to give a “shoutout to Ohio-based abortion-providing personnel.”
The event scheduled to take place on February 14, Valentine’s Day, is called “Barriers to Reproductive Healthcare in Ohio.” The event’s description refers to crisis pregnancy enters as “anti-abortion centers” and refers to them as “dangerous alternatives for actual reproductive care.” SASHA continues to condemn pregnancy centers in its FAQ section, calling them “unethical, misleading, inaccurate, and a threat to public health.”
Crisis pregnancy centers, or pregnancy resource centers, are located across the country and are designed to offer numerous free services to women who need prenatal care. These services include things such as ultrasounds, adoption information, therapy, and vitamins, and help supply mothers with diapers and other sanitary products. These centers are designed to give women safe and healthy alternatives to abortion.
However, since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health that effectively ended the federal government’s stance on abortion outlined in Roe v. Wade, crisis pregnancy centers have been attacked by those on the left as an institution of right-wing extremism. Last year, the Department of Justice indicted two individuals for spray painting threats on the walls of pregnancy resource centers in Florida. In the past, politicians such as Elizabeth Warren have called for pregnancy resource centers to be shut down, referring to them as “torture.”
