Articles about Sex Ed
February 24th, 2009 • Contributed by Sue Kettner
[We recieved this today from The Guttmacher Institute, and wanted to make sure to pass it along.]
Publicly funded family planning programs save the U.S. billions of dollars each year though the prevention of about 1.94 million unintended pregnancies, including nearly 400,000 teenage pregnancies, in the U.S., according to a report released Tuesday by the Guttmacher Institute, the AP/Miami Herald reports. The report estimates that the unintended pregnancies prevented each year would have resulted in 810,000 abortions, 270,000 miscarriages and 860,000 unintended births. The report states that without publicly funded family planning programs, the U.S. abortion rate would be nearly two-thirds higher than the current level and nearly twice as high among low-income women.
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No Comments • Posted in: Birth Control, Family Planning, Policy, Sex Ed
February 23rd, 2009 • Contributed by Dino Corvino
[For more information contact Below The Waist for call in numbers]
The Female Condom – where the girls – AND boys – are
Please join IRMA, the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) and the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) for the first IRMA global teleconference of 2009.
Get the skinny on the NEW female condom and discuss its implications for anal sex.
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No Comments • Posted in: Sex Ed, STIs
January 12th, 2009 • Contributed by Frances Irwin
I caught this article, Get over it: Talk to kids about sex, from the Miami Herald on Saturday and couldn’t help but envy Ana Veciana-Suarez for her clear message to parents about stepping up. I admit that I am not yet a parent, but I wish my parents could have gotten over their hurdle to talk about it in more than vague terms of responsibility. For those parents out there who need help, check out www.advocatesforyouth.org, www.avert.org or just call your local family planning clinic.
No Comments • Posted in: Sex Ed
December 30th, 2008 • Contributed by Lon Newman
As the fable goes, an eagle is brought to earth by an arrow fletched with his own feathers.
Listening to the spokesperson for Pro-Life Wisconsin as he defended the new ‘right of conscience’ regulations on Wisconsin Public Radio last week reminded me of the wisdom of the tale.
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1 Comment • Posted in: Abortion, Abstinence, Action, Birth Control, Emergency Contraception, Policy, Sex Ed
November 24th, 2008 • Contributed by Dino Corvino
[From The Guttmacher Insitutute]
As the global community marks World AIDS Day on December 1, advocates and policy experts welcome the promise by the incoming Obama administration to put sound scientific evidence at the forefront of the U.S. global AIDS program (PEPFAR). President-elect Obama’s campaign Web site states that the “first priority is…to ensure that best practices—not ideology—… drive funding for HIV/AIDS programs.” And indeed, both the new administration and the incoming Congress will have opportunities next year to do just that.
In August 2008, the U.S. government reauthorized the PEPFAR program, committing $39 billion over five years to the global fight against HIV. The new PEPFAR law features many improvements over the law that guided the program’s first five years; however, it, too, falls short in terms of HIV prevention policy.
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No Comments • Posted in: Action, Policy, Sex Ed, STIs
October 23rd, 2008 • Contributed by Sue Kettner
Today I read an article on RH Reality Check by Patricia Harmon, Nurse-Midwife. While protecting the names of her patients, she told the stories of women with unexpected pregnancies who are facing hard choices. To read the article, go to:
http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2008/10/15/unexpected-pregnancies-and-hard-choices
At the time I read the article, there were 7 comments posted. I found the comments especially interesting also.
The comments were from:
Maryisa
Colleen
Michelle
E.S.
Deb
Alexis Zepeda
1 Comment • Posted in: Sex Ed
September 16th, 2008 • Contributed by Dino Corvino
[Editors Note: From time to time we receive email updates from organiztions. This one comes to us from the Guttmacher Institute. We thought it was significant in scope, and wanted to pass it along in its entirety.]
Special Journal Issue Examines Broad Range of Problems
Associated with Abstinence-Only Education
Most abstinence-only programs of the type that have received $1.5 billion in federal funding do not help teens delay initiation of sex, and there is no scientific evidence to warrant their widespread use, according to a major new review of sexuality education program evaluations by Douglas B. Kirby. In contrast, many comprehensive sex education programs, which emphasize both abstinence and the use of protection for those who do have sex, were found to have a positive impact and should be replicated more widely. The study concludes that a comprehensive approach to sex education is effective and does not send a confusing message to young people.
The new review is part of a series of articles that identify major flaws in abstinence-only education, including problems with accuracy, effectiveness and ethics, all publish
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No Comments • Posted in: Abstinence, Sex Ed
August 28th, 2008 • Contributed by Dino Corvino
As you know, President Bush recently signed into law H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 (PL 110-293), which reauthorized the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) at $48 billion over five years. In reauthorizing this legislation, Congress voted to eliminate the federal law that banned non-U.S.citizens living with HIV and AIDS from entering the United States, whether as visitors or immigrants. This is an important first step in restoring the human rights and dignity of people living with HIV and AIDS that were compromised by the ban.However, HIV still appears on the list of “communicable diseases of public health significance” that automatically prohibits entry into the United States. The Administration has the power to remove HIV from this list, which would allow for the full elimination of restrictions on travel and immigration for people living with HIV and AIDS who wish to enter the U.S.
Why Take Action?
For the last 20 years, U.S. law has prohibited HIV-positive non-citizens from entering the United States, violating their human rights and perpetuating stigma and discrimination. The law, driven by fear and stigma, was written at a time when many people had little understanding of how HIV is transmitted and when homosexuality was still grounds for inadmissibility to the U.S. (Gay Men’s Health Crisis). Under the travel ban, all HIV-positive travelers seeking to enter the U.S. must undergo an onerous waiver process that can dissuade people – including activists seeking to inform U.S. policy – from even trying.
Contact Congress TODAY!
We urge you to contact your Representative to endorse a Dear Colleague letter urging the Administration to completely eliminate the discriminatory travel ban. Click here to take action!
Thank you for contacting Congress and for spreading the word! For more information about U.S. restrictions on HIV-related travel and immigration, click here.
In solidarity,
Kimberly Whipkey
Advocacy and Outreach Associate
Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)
kwhipkey@genderhealth.org
301-270-1182
No Comments • Posted in: Action, Policy, Sex Ed
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.
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No Comments • Posted in: Abstinence, Action, Birth Control, Policy, Sex Ed
July 16th, 2008 • Contributed by Frances Irwin
Recently, The Statesman Editorial Board penned an opinionon Texas’ funding of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. This well written and reasoned editorial also sparked an interesting debate among online readers about how to approach the topic of comprehensive sexuality education in schools.
No Comments • Posted in: Sex Ed
