A student organization at Ohio State University is hosting “Sex Week” which features an event asking students to “help thank abortion providers.”
Students Advocates for Sexual Health Awareness are hosting the event with support from different university departments, including the Department of Womens Gender and Sexuality Studies and the College of Social Work.
The program features events covering different sexual wellness topics during the week of Valentine’s Day.
On Feb. 13, the Ohio State Undergraduate Student Government will partner with SASHA to host “Gentle Masculinity with Pink Mantaray.” Pink Mantrary, whose real name is Schuyler Bailar, is the first openly transgender Division 1 swimmer in the NCAA.
There will be a presentation on gender and transgender affirming surgery and healthcare on Feb. 15, a discussion on dating apps for people who identify as queer on Feb. 17, and a “Beginner’s Guide to Pleasure” on Feb. 18.
Also on Feb. 18, Ohio State students are invited to meet at the Ohio Union on campus to participate in “Valentine’s Abortion Providers.” Participants will “help thank abortion providers in Ohio and Texas for the valuable work they do for reproductive rights,” according to the event’s description.
"We feel that it is important to appreciate the family planning providers that are able to provide essential healthcare for our communities,” SASHA president Sky Hart told Fox News. “Our organization emphasizes the constitutional right to a safe abortion, however many do not share that belief. Because of this, many providers and their offices are often ridiculed for providing legal, affordable, safe healthcare.”
“We feel they deserve appreciation, and should be reminded of the fact they are assisting our communities greatly," Hart added.
Kristan Hawkins, president of the university’s Students for Life, said Ohio State University was doing a “disservice to students” by sponsoring the event.
Funding for the event is provided by the university’s Council on Student Affairs which comes from student activities fees. Private sponsors have also donated to the event.
“Although Sex Week is more informative and inclusive than the typical Ohio high school sex ed, we do not get any taxpayer money, “ according to the event’s website.
The organization added that while it partners with Planned Parenthood — “a huge provider of health services for men and women, particularly low-income women” — it does not partner with pregnancy crisis centers because they are not licensed medical providers.
“They are pretty much just passionate people putting on white coats to look professional, which is probably why they are known to give medically inaccurate information,” says Sex Week’s OSU.
Additionally, the student organization says “Sex Week wants to educate people on how to avoid unwanted pregnancies.”
Sex Week at Ohio State University begins on Feb. 14.
