Women's Issues: Contraceptives availability |
Availability to women of the means to prevent pregnancy; religious and right wing fundamentalist opposition to that availability; abstinence-only sex education programs; birth control in world perspective.
8/28/08 New battlefield's in the Christian Right's war on teen sex:. Abstinence advocates are switching from school "sex education" programs by taking their battle to the streets of popular teen culture. A "trendy" new magazine called J4G (Just for Girls/Guys) has a "counselor" who counsels inaccurately about the dangers of abortion, and features advice to girls to "dress modestly" to avoid sexual over-stimulation for guys while, for their part, boys are urged to prove their manhood not through sex but through abstinence as they "fight the 'dragon' of sexual temptation while their ladies watch in wonder and admiration." http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/95249/?page=1
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Analysis & views: 12/30/07 British government's sex education program designed to curb teenage pregnancies is admitted by health officials to be a "failure" as rate of such pregnancies rises.
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Analysis & views: 8/28/08 New battlefield's in the Christian Right's war on teen sex:. Abstinence advocates are switching from school "sex education" programs by taking their battle to the streets of popular teen culture. A "trendy" new magazine called J4G (Just for Girls/Guys) has a "counselor" who counsels inaccurately about the dangers of abortion, and features advice to girls to "dress modestly" to avoid sexual over-stimulation for guys while, for their part, boys are urged to prove their manhood not through sex but through abstinence as they "fight the 'dragon' of sexual temptation while their ladies watch in wonder and admiration." http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/95249/?page=1 8/2/08 Wisconsin planned parenthood clinics dealing with state and federal trends toward making almost any contraceptive technology tantamount to abortion. http://www.madison.com/tct/news/298878 6/16/08 At the pharmacy, mixing medicine with beliefs:. At a pharmacy in a D.C. suburb shopping plaza and a growing number of stores around the U.S., pharmacists are exercising their "right" to refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control pills or sell over-the-counter contraceptives because their religious beliefs. The practice is praised in the pro-life movement and condemned by those who fear still another obstacle to provision for a medical need. 4/12/08 "Straight shooter" John McCain has a bad aim when it comes to reproductive freedom:. Often styled as a "maverick" Republican who takes stances opposed by conservatives in his party, McCain flips and flops about his stand on promoting contraceptive use among young people. http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/11/8226/ 4/4/08 Comprehensive sex education for children; Good enough for Washington State; imperative for the nation: . A Washington writer touts that state's Healthy Youth Act as a model for the nation. A recent CDC report of a large proportion of American girls infected with STDs highlights the failure of "abstinence only" approach to sex education that has not stemmed the tide of disease or unwanted pregnancy. In Common Dreams reprint of this article, there is an appended string of comments, mostly highly favorable to the "comprehensive" sex education approach. http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/03/8072/ 1/18/08 What's behind the rise in births to teenage mothers in the U.S.? Examples of young celebrities or the "Juno" style cute-endings to stories of "knocked up" teenagers? The contraceptive irresponsibility of boys since it "takes two to bango?" The exorbitant cost of female contraceptives arising from changes in Medicaid re-imbursement policies? The barriers to abortion created by pro-life inspired legislation in U.S. states? These and other explanations are explored by a Canadian writer, who notes that her country has the exact opposite of U.S. tendencies (lower teenager motherhood rates, rising abortion ones) and expresses gratitude for living in a country in which women actually have a choice http://www.thestar.com/article/294221 11/8/07 Study in Texas raises question about ability of abstinence-only sex education to curb teen sexual activity 10/17/07 Portland Maine school board considering whether to make prescription contraceptives available at health clinics in middle schools. http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=155431&zoneid=586 9/15/07 Sticker shock for contraceptvies from campus and community health clinics: Rising cost of birth control materials obtained by women at these clinics is just part of a broad program of pro-choice legislation and administrative ruling under a Republican Congress and President that is just now being challenged by a Prevention First agenda in Congress, an effort of uncertain prospect of success given the bipartisan influence of the pro-choice lobby which has produced, for example, support by some Democrats of "abstinence only" sex education. http://www.msmagazine.com/summer2007/stickerShock.asp 7/13/07 Surge in "Plan B" use brings a surge of controversy: In the year since FDA approved over-the-counter sale of the "morning-after" contraceptive, the number of women using the plan has doubled. Advocates tout this is as a good sign of better response to women's reproductive health use, while opponents continue to condemn the plan's supposed encouragement of sexual activity and the alleged dangers of the drug. Most women seeking the drug find it readily available at drug stores, but many pharmacists refuse to sell it on "moral" grounds. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/12/AR2007071202146.html?referrer=email 6/4/07 Even with their lack of impact on teenage pregnancy, faith-based abstinence only programs continue to flourish. Well-connected groups and individuals within the Bush administration are feathering their nests with generous funding for abstinence education as well as such other favorites of the evangelical political agenda as anti-abortion efforts. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070618/reynolds 4/9/07 LA Times notes a rising revolt in U.S. states in federally funded "abstinence-only" sex education programs. 6 states have already or plan to refuse federal funding with mandates against teaching any form of contraception except abstinence. http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-na-abstinence8apr08,1,4821225.story?ctrack=2&cset=true 1/7/07 Battle is joined in Montgomery County Maryland on school board's sex education program, whose critics claim that the curriculum is too lenient on the issue of homosexuality and too strict in condemning religious opposition to contraception. http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFull 12/7/06 Plan B is working: a month after "morning-after" pill was approved for over-the-counter distribution, Planned Parenthood clinics hand out free contraceptives, pharmacies are freely stocking it, and CVS is providing a staff person to fill a prescription if a particular pharmacist has moral scruples. http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061207/WIRE/612060381/-1/news 11/9/06 Federal judge rules that Center for Reproductive Rights can obtain access to records relating to White House interference with FDA's ruling on Plan B contraception. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR2006110801877.html?referrer=email 7/3/06 Opinion: Conservatives and the Bush administration continure thier "war on contraceptives", despite overwhelming public support for thie availability; 93% in one poll: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/shared/news/stories/YOUNG_COLUMN_0703_COX.html 5/26/06 Mass. Gov. Mitt Romeny asks for federal funding for abstinece-only programs: http://baywindows.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=008EC9FBCFF24AD18614 5/26/06 Two former FDA officials says they were left out of the agency's decision against Plan B contraceptives when its director realized they were leaning toward approval of the plan. http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052506E.shtml 5/18/06 Hilary Clinton assails the GOP for their war on contraception: http://www.wnbc.com/politics/9237212/detail.html 5/5/06 RHIP (rank has its privileges): Poor women four times more likely than the more affluent to have unwanted pregnancies: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/04/AR2006050400820.html?referrer=email 4/21/06 Republican governor of Massachusetts will spend $1 million in federal funds for faith-based abstinence-only sex education programs in state: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/04/21/state_widens_teaching_of_abstinence/ 4/14/06 Colorado Governor vetoes bill that would have allowed pharmacists to 4/1/06 With government funding of abstinence-only sex education at about $900 million per year, more schools are adopting that approach: http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114368617670711926-hONPSs7lmY41Px9rHx_zlPsZGTI_20070329.html?mod=blogs 3/20/06 Missouri House votes to ban public provision of birth control services for low-income women: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031906D.shtml 3/10/06 Newly released documents show internal conflict in FDA on approval for over-the-counter of Plan B or morning after contraceptives: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0310-01.htm 2/27/06 Plan B contraception programs embroil states in controversy: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/26/AR2006022601380.html?referrer=email
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Analysis & views: 1/13/07 No over-the-counter Plan B contraceptives are available in many small Florida towns as local pharmacies fail to carry the drug. http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/011307/met_7288535.shtml
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Analysis and views: Gainesville: 3/22/06 UF Health Service to provide expanded contraception services for students: http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060322/LOCAL/203220334/1078/news
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