[mod_python] get_options() in apache module

Hi,
in the docs I only find req.get_options()

But I need access to the options before the first request.
Is there a similar method in the  apache object? Unfortunately I did
not find one

<Directory ...>
  SetHandler mod_python
  PythonHandler mod_python.publisher
  PythonOption key "value"                       <---- this one
</Directory>

The workaround I use now is to start apache with a -D and then call
apache.exists_config_define()
But for my needs this is a smelling workaround :((

So a apache.get_options() would be the best because the options are
global anyway, so I dont understand why access to them is only
possible through the request object

Alex.