Two bills that would impose more regulations on abortion in Ohio were passed by the General Assembly and are awaiting the signature of Gov. George Voinovich.The Ohio Senate approved the bills Wednesday. House Bill 421, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Luebber, R-Cincinnati, would make parental consent mandatory for minors seeking abortions. The bill would also require women to have a personal consultation with a physician 24 hours prior to an abortion. Ohio law currently says pregnant women who want an abortion must consult with a physician at least 24 hours prior to the procedure, but the consultation can be done over the phone or by listening to a recording. The existing law provides minors with more alternatives to the parental consent requirement than Bill 421.”This bill exercises yet another obstacle for a woman to receive an abortion,” said Stephanie Eaton, president of OSU’s Students for Choice. By making face-to-face visits with a health care worker mandatory, the cost of an abortion could increase. Only eight counties in Ohio have facilities to perform abortions. Travel cost and time taken off from work will become bigger issues, Eaton said.Legislators want the parents to be just as involved in the process as their daughter if she is considering an abortion, Luebber said. He said he hopes this bill will help bring parents and pregnant daughters closer together through a difficult time. House Bill 395, sponsored by Rep. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, would prohibit state employees from using their health plans to cover abortion costs unless the life of the mother is threatened by the pregnancy, or if it resulted from a rape or incest that was reported to police. Federal law already prohibits the use of federal funds to cover the cost of abortions for federal employees under the Medicaid program.”The reason this bill came into being is because lawmakers do not want to discuss the issue of abortion, so they hide behind the subject of insurance,” Eaton said.