Interested Party Testimony, Senate Bill 23

Chairman Merrin, Vice Chair Manning, Ranking Member Boyd and Members of the Health Committee: 

My name is Sarah Hayford. I have an MA and a PhD in demography from the University of Pennsylvania, and I am an associate professor of sociology at the Ohio State University. I conduct research on the causes and consequences of unintended childbearing in the United States. I am providing interested party testimony on SB 23 as a scientist and as a citizen of Ohio; I am not representing Ohio State University or any other organization. 

In this testimony, I summarize findings from social science research about barriers to receiving early abortions (before 7 weeks gestation). My testimony is based on information from peer-reviewed articles published in scientific journals and from reputable social science research organizations. I make two main points.