Tag: sex education

ABC News reports that John McCain's campaign has indicated that he is backing away from his previously stated goal of changing the GOP's platform, a move which pleases his conservative base but is likely to alienate any moderate voters he was hoping to attract.

Slate reports on the dilemma facing South Dakota's abortion providers, who are now required by law to provide medically inaccurate and misleading information to their patients.

SIECUS has released the 2007 edition of its annual state profiles report, detailing where federal abstinence-only-until-marriage dollars are being spent and important Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Study (YRBSS) statistics (via RH Reality Check).  

The Detroit News reports that some Catholic leaders in the Detroit area are increasingly promoting Pope Paul VI's 1968 Humanae Vitae, which condemns contraception.

Barack Obama seeks to increase his already significant lead over John McCain amongst female voters by focusing on the issue of pay equity (via The Washington Post).  

The New York Times publishes a disappointing article on HPV vaccines in which the author uses the fact that HPV is of a much graver concern in the developing world than the United States to downplay the need for women to protect themselves.  

Writing about Obama and McCain's comments on abortion at the Saddleback Church presidential candidate's forum, Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. writes that John McCain's `crisp and concise' answers were more conducive to the format, but cautions readers "not to mistake stark simplicity for wisdom".

The new Democratic abortion platform has been praised by some anti-choice Christians who are finding common ground with pro-choice democrats in their pursuit of reducing the need for abortions: (via Reuters).

The American Psychological Association's finds that women choosing to abort an unwanted pregnancy do not experience mental illness as a result: (via NY Times).

An MSNBC article examines the complicated ways in which teenagers view both abstinence and sex, noting that many teenagers believe in abstinence but also have intentions to have sex at some point in the near future, a nuance missed by abstinence-only education that contends sex must only occur in marriage.

In his address at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico, environmentalist Jonathon Porritt stressed that increased funding for family planning in poor countries is needed as much as money going towards HIV/AIDS assistance because growing populations of such countries will cause an even bigger humanitarian crisis than HIV/AIDS will: (via RH Reality Check).

A Joint Economic Committee study shows that for the first time since the 1960s the percentage of women in the workplace has fallen instead of risen after an economic recovery, and that the slowing economy, not a decision to "opt-out" and raise children, has driven women out of the workplace: (via The New York Times).

NPR airs an opinion piece by an Oakland teen who says that within his social circle engaging in sex without condoms is the newest way to affirm a monogamous relationship, generating considerable discussion and concern that youth are engaging in risky behavior that places them at increased risk of unintended pregnancy and disease.

The United Kingdom's Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV recommends that comprehensive sex education be required for all British students: (via The Daily Telegraph).

A group led by two former state Supreme Court justices has accused the Building Industry Association of Washington of pooling $3.5 million in an illegal secret campaign fund to defeat Governor Christine Gregoire: (via The Seattle Times).

Hillary Clinton has a poll on AOL Hot Seat asking Americans whether birth control should be equated with abortion (as the new HHS proposal would do), so far 89% have voted no.

Sex columnist Violet Blue lays out a comprehensive sex education plan for Obama, taking note from a recently implemented Australian sexual health program and arranging a 5-point plan for changing sex education in America: (via San Fransico Chronicle).

The Oregonian covers the letter written by Senators Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray, and signed by several other senators, to Secretary Michael Leavitt urging Health and Human Services to change the proposal that would effectively define contraception as abortion.
And, the letter.

TIME Magazine published a piece on the rising trend of "purity balls" whereby girls as young as 4 engage in an elaborate ceremony with their fathers, and promise to remain "pure until marriage".

An RH Reality Check article examines the 30 years of journalism by NY Times court reporter Linda Greenhouse and includes a comprehensive summary of important Supreme Court decisions relating to abortion.

ABC News reports that 104 House members have also sent a letter to President Bush calling on him to "halt all action" on a proposed regulation.

While the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association has an excellent post examining the right's concerted attempt to get rid of birth control in the United States.  

British MPs have tabled an amendment to enact the 1967 Abortion Act in Northern Ireland, which would give women in Northern Ireland the same abortion rights and access to public funding as women in the rest of Britain (via the BBC).

Kate Sheppard's article titled "McCain's War on Women" lists the candidate's many anti-woman stances, including his poor voting record on women's issues such as reproductive health and economic equality.

In an article for The Guardian, columnist Sarah Wildman chronicles the many disastrous policies enacted by the Bush Administration, and how such policies have successfully undermined the reproductive health of women worldwide.

RH Reality Check uncovers an HHS letter that promises that states applying for Title V abstinence-only sex-education grants for fiscal year 2009 will receive the money until 2013 without reapplying, in an attempt the lure states wary of accepting such funds because of the uncertainty of the future of the program, even though Congress has not yet approved such funding.

In a guest post for RH Reality Check, Senator Hillary Clinton states her opposition to Bush's proposed HHS rules, saying that the Administration is again putting ideology before science and women's health.  

The Nation's Katha Politt takes the mainstream media to task for failing to report on John McCain's opposition to birth control, pointing out that this fact is far more relevant to the electorate than most of the election topics they choose to cover.

Anti-choice gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi appears on King 5's Up Front program where he again claims that the office of governor has nothing to do with choice.  In response to David Postman's comment that candidates have a responsibility to address issues that are of concern to the electorate, Rossi claims he doesn't have time to talk to the voters about issues he's not focusing on.

Catholics for Choice has launched a global, grassroots campaign asking Catholics to pressure the Vatican to end its devastating 40-year ban on contraception.

An Austin American-Statesman article discusses the current debate over sex education in Texas, noting that Texas spends more money on abstinence-only sex-education than any other state but has a higher teen sex rate than the national average, one of the highest teen birth rates, and youths that are less likely to use condoms.

Despite recent reports of adverse events related to the HPV vaccine Gardasil, doctors in this ABC News article put the statistics into perspective and the FDA concludes the vaccine is still safe and effective.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday heard arguments on the preliminary injunction against state Board of Pharmacy rules mandating that pharmacies must fill legal prescriptions, inclusing Plan B.  The judges expressed particular interest in whether the injunction could be limited to the plaintiffs, rather than the entire state, but isn't expected to rule for four weeks at the earliest (via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer).  

Planned Parenthood Action Fund announces its endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for president of the United States, marking only the second time in Planned Parenthood's history that the Action Fund has made a presidential endorsement.  

Canada will honour Henry Morgentaler - the doctor who led the fight to legalize abortion in Canada - with its highest civilian award, the Governor General's Order of Canada (via Reuters).  

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette examines Pennsylvania's decision to refuse more than $5.8 million in federal Title V abstinence-only education funding since 2003, pointing out that a refusal of federal funding shows just how little confidence states have in abstinence-only programs.  

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday heard arguments on the preliminary injunction against state Board of Pharmacy rules mandating that pharmacies must fill legal prescriptions, inclusing Plan B.  The judges expressed particular interest in whether the injunction could be limited to the plaintiffs, rather than the entire state, but isn't expected to rule for four weeks at the earliest (via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer).  

Planned Parenthood Action Fund announces its endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for president of the United States, marking only the second time in Planned Parenthood's history that the Action Fund has made a presidential endorsement.  

Canada will honour Henry Morgentaler - the doctor who led the fight to legalize abortion in Canada - with its highest civilian award, the Governor General's Order of Canada (via Reuters).  

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette examines Pennsylvania's decision to refuse more than $5.8 million in federal Title V abstinence-only education funding since 2003, pointing out that a refusal of federal funding shows just how little confidence states have in abstinence-only programs.  

RH Reality Check reports that only 28 states are still participating in the federal government's Title V abstinence-only funding scheme - meaning that 23 states have now opted out.

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain has told conservative leaders that he will actively seek the support of Christian conservatives by emphasizing his anti-choice record (via MSNBC).  

Conservative Christian organization the Family Research Council's latest television ads attack presidential candidate Barack Obama's pro-choice stance (via The New York Times).  

Scotland's government leads the way in EC access by launching a program to provide free over-the-counter emergency contraception through all community pharmacies (via The Scotsman).