Articles about Birth Control
October 9th, 2008 • Contributed by Dino Corvino
[From Guttmacher]
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) instructed its staff this month to pressure at least six African governments to withhold U.S.-funded contraceptives from London-based Marie Stopes International (MSI), one of the world’s leading providers of family planning services in developing countries. This is the latest move by the Bush administration in a progression of increasingly restrictive family planning policy decisions that put politics first and women’s needs last.
Continue reading this article »
No Comments • Posted in: Policy, Action, Birth Control
September 25th, 2008 • Contributed by Dino Corvino
[From Guttmacher Institute]
September 26 marks World Contraception Day, which highlights the many ways using modern birth control methods benefits women and their partners. Access to contraceptives allows couples worldwide to make responsible decisions about when to become parents and also helps secure women’s full and equal participation in modern society. Using any form of contraception dramatically reduces a woman’s chance of getting pregnant and either having an abortion or giving birth to a child she did not intend. The most effective methods virtually eliminate that risk.
Continue reading this article »
No Comments • Posted in: Policy, Emergency Contraception, Birth Control
July 31st, 2008 • Contributed by Frances Irwin
On July 23, 2008 members of the House and Senate sent letters to President Bush and Health and Human Services Secretary Leavitt protesting the proposed rule change that would define most types of birth control as abortion. Here you’ll find a list of all the Representatives and Senators who signed the letters. Please take a moment to say thanks by clicking on their name.
Continue reading this article »
4 Comments • Posted in: Policy, Emergency Contraception, Action, Birth Control
July 30th, 2008 • Contributed by Dino Corvino
Millions of Dollars to Failed Programs and Crisis Pregnancy Centers
New York, NY - Today, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) released a special report on abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in Kentucky. The report, which compiles data on the major federal funding sources of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs as well as vital health statistics and outcomes in the state, paints a picture of a state that uses some of the worst, fear-based abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula and lags behind national averages on many important adolescent indicators related to teen pregnancy and STDs.
Continue reading this article »
No Comments • Posted in: Sex Ed, Policy, Abstinence, Action, Birth Control
July 16th, 2008 • Contributed by Frances Irwin
In Sunday’s Los Angeles Times, Mike Males writes, “The Real Mistake in ‘Teen Pregnancy.’” This op-ed takes a fascinating look at how teen pregnancy is charaterized in the United States. His look at how society views the situation is insightful and challenging for those of us working to improve the lives of families through delayed and planned childbirth. What do you think about his take?
No Comments • Posted in: Policy, Birth Control
July 16th, 2008 • Contributed by Lon Newman
On June 29th the New York Times Sunday Magazine published Russell Shorto’s essay titled “No Babies?”that fostered a timely discussion related to World Population Day (July 11th). In the article, Mr. Shorto writes, “The fears on the right are of a continent-wide takeover by third-world hordes – mostly Muslim – who have yet to be infected by the modern malady called family planning and who threaten to transform, if not completely delete, the storied, cherished cultures of Western Europe.” It seems clear that changing global economics and regional immigration pressures must be addressed. However, it is unreasonable to deal with these issues solely in the context of specific regional/ethnic birth rates.
Continue reading this article »
No Comments • Posted in: Policy, Birth Control
June 24th, 2008 • Contributed by Lon Newman
Political profiteering may well be older than Congress and sexual exploitation is certainly older. In Washington D.C., political exploitation of sexuality has been perfected over the past 30 years and last week it showed up in its second-most familiar form: appropriations negotiations. Elected officials appreciate the advantages of sexual moralizing and, on the other side of the same thin coin, elected officials understand human weakness and salacious sexuality. This obsession is a weak representation of human sexuality — especially when it comes to reproductive health and family planning — nonetheless it provides a throw-away bargaining chip for our representatives.
Continue reading this article »
1 Comment • Posted in: Policy, Birth Control
June 23rd, 2008 • Contributed by NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin
It is no secret that anti-choice groups have long used radical tactics to oppose abortion. This year, we saw young children outfitted in “I survived the American Holocaust” tee shirts in legislative hearings in the Wisconsin capitol. Last July, we watched in horror as a group of “pro-lifers” staged, in front of a Milwaukee abortion clinic, a celebratory reenactment of the murder of a Florida abortion provider and his escort by Paul Hill. In short, their campaigns and demonstrations have grown increasingly extreme and more inappropriate as of late.
Continue reading this article »
1 Comment • Posted in: Birth Control
May 1st, 2008 • Contributed by Lon Newman
Are we talking about ‘the facts of life’ anymore, or have we renounced the realities of biology and science in favor of protecting our beliefs?
May 7th is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Day and a good time to study what’s working and what’s hindering out national progress. It would also be a good time for parents of teens to consider their own vital role in sex education.
Continue reading this article »
No Comments • Posted in: Abortion, Sex Ed, Policy, Emergency Contraception, Birth Control
February 4th, 2008 • Contributed by Frances Irwin
The New Zealand Family Planning Program is totally cool. Every year Valentine’s Day comes and goes and everyone catches a little bit of the love bug. In the United States, we try to discourage infections caused by the love bug by celebrating National Condom Week. In addition to celebrate National Condom Week, I think we should follow New Zealand’s lead by making sure our relationships are healthy and safe. Check out their news release on Scoop Culture for more information http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0802/S00007.htm.
No Comments • Posted in: STIs, Birth Control
