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Home » In the Blogs
| A Common Condom Misunderstanding
Scarleteen
December 9th, 2009
I get the impression that some, if not many of of our users think that condom failure rates are the same as condom breakage/slippage rates. In other words, think that when we explain that in typical use, condoms are 85% effective, that means that 15% of condoms break.It doesn't: that is NOT what those rates mean. I hate for anyone to be presuming it is and to panic about a potential pregnancy via condom use because of that misunderstanding. |
| Senate Defeats Amendment Restricting Women?s Access To Abortion
Reproductive Freedom News
December 7th, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: (202) 675-2312 or�[email protected]�WASHINGTON – The Senate voted today to table, thus defeating, an amendment to the Senate health care reform bill that would have imposed severe restrictions on women's access to abortion. The amendment, introduced by Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), would have denied women who receive any federal health care subsidy from purchasing an insurance plan on the exchange that covers abortion care even if the premium is largely paid for with private dollars. The American Civil Liberties Union hailed the Senate vote as a victory for women’s rights and ability to make private health care decisions without government interference. �A similar amendment, the ... |
| The Real ?Fright? about High Teen STD Rates
Beyond the Birds & the Bees
November 30th, 2009
I spoke to Montel Williams on his Air America show Montel Across America, last Thursday. We talked about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2008, which was released last week. The CDC’s report found that STDs, such as chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea, are on the rise. And why is this relevant to us? Because the report found that there are over 19 million new STD infections each year and almost half of them occur in young people�who are 15 to 24 years old. Montel, much like other adults who’ve been talking about the report, was alarmed by these numbers and referred to the high rates of STDs among young people as “frightening” news.It is ... |
| HPV & Herpes: Why Safer Sex Isn't Always Safe Enough
Scarleteen
November 30th, 2009
At some point, you have probably heard someone -- perhaps even a school or community or health group -- say that condoms are not effective when it comes to safer sex and preventing the spread of sexually transmitted disease and infection. Unfortunately, some myths are propagated about condom use in this way.read more |
| CDC Releases Its Annual 'Abortion Surveillance' Report
Reproductive Health | RHRealityCheck.org - Information, News, Analysis, and Commentary
November 30th, 2009
Today, the CDC released its Abortion Surveillance report for2006. Every year, since 1969, the CDC conducts this ?abortion surveillance? to?document the number and characteristics of women obtaining legal inducedabortions in the United States.? The information is obtained from abortion datathe CDC requests from 50 central health agencies in all fifty states plusWashington DC and New York City. �The report provides critical information on how many abortions are performed in this country, at what gestational age, and with what medical procedure but also about who gets abortions in this country: broken down by age, ethnicity and race.� According to the report, for 2006, a total of 846,181abortions were reported to CDC. From that number, ... |
| Today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance
Reproductive Health | RHRealityCheck.org - Information, News, Analysis, and Commentary
November 23rd, 2009
November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance, andit's an opportunity for all of us to stand up to end violence against all women.Female identified people throughout the feminist movement have been pushing forequality, and have been breaking down the stereotypes of being women in ourculture. No longer are we forced to wear skirts, or cover our faces. This isblurring our gender binary system, by letting female identified women cometogether and wear what they want, when they want it. Transgendered people are anatural ally in this movement, because we too are blurring the gender binary.Some of us that are transgendered are very clearly maleidentified or female identified regardless of what we were assigned at birth.But others are less clear ... |
| Precious, Stupak, and the Erasure of Women's Lives
Reproductive Health | RHRealityCheck.org - Information, News, Analysis, and Commentary
November 23rd, 2009
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" couldn't come at a more frightening moment forAmerican women. With the Stupak amendment literally and symbolically strippingwomen of equal status and ignoring our right to bodily self-determination, hereis a movie that presents, in grim detail, the way race, class and gender biasrender a woman's body invisible and susceptible to the worst kinds of abuse andneglect. Beyond that, the film is a reminder that when we talk about women'shealth every statistic masks a story, a woman's story that none of us canunderstand unless we see it firsthand. This is the underlying message of thereproductive justice movement, a message many of our legislators have forgottenor never learned. This isn't to ... |
| Dear Mr. Stupak: Do You Trust Women?
Reproductive Health | RHRealityCheck.org - Information, News, Analysis, and Commentary
November 16th, 2009
The Stupak amendment has prompted our well-deserved ire. But it also presents an opportunity for serious reflection about what abortion represents and how we represent it.We have often spoken the language of my: my child, my choice; keep your laws of my body; U.S. out of my uterus. With some laudable exceptions, a rights-based, essentially libertarian framework has formed the basis for our argument.This appeal, while deeply resonant with the pre-Roe generation, has become less and less effective. We?ve heard the problems before. Choice is simply too weak a concept to stand up against Life. Choice conveys quick decisions made without thought, reinforcing the already negative stereotypes about why women abort. Choice is necessary but ... |
| Teen, Supermodel, Covergirl?.and Pregnant
Beyond the Birds & the Bees
November 13th, 2009
The cover of the November issue of Teen Vogue pictures 19-year-old Jourdan Dunn and 18-year-old Chanel Iman along with the cover line “Teen Supermodels Jourdan and Chanel on Their Rise to the Top.” Inside the magazine, Jourdan and Chanel talk about their careers as supermodels, but it’s what Jourdan reveals that’s got people talking.� Jourdan is expecting a baby sometime this December and her boyfriend, mother and modeling agency are supportive of her.There was some debate at Teen Vogue, as to whether the magazine should still run the cover after they found out Jourdan was pregnant. But a number of factors, like a tight production schedule, kept the cover in place. Jourdan’s pregnancy and other recent ... |
| Roundup: Michelman and Kissling in the New York Times; Keenan Discusses Stupak on "Talk of the Nation"
Reproductive Health | RHRealityCheck.org - Information, News, Analysis, and Commentary
November 13th, 2009
Michelman and Kissling on Stupak in the New York Times "A grim reality sits behind the joyful press statements fromWashington Democrats," write Kate Michelman and Frances Kissling on the editorial page of today's New York Times. To secure passage of health care legislation in the House, the party chose a course that risks the well-being of millions of women for generations to come. They are of course writing about the "deal" struck in the eleventh-hour on the Stupak-Pitts amendment which, in effect and among other things, would ban women who participate in the health insurance exchange called for in the House bill from obtaining insurance policies including coverage for abortion care, even if they pay 100 percent of the premiums. It is ... |
| Preventing Teen Pregnancy: Three Words Most Likely to Make My Blood Boil
Scarleteen
November 13th, 2009
I hate, hate, hate that phrase. Nearly everywhere I go or look as a young adult sexuality educator anymore, I run into it incessantly. Let me be clear: I don't hate doing all that we can, to help people of every age to avoid pregnancies or parenting they do not want or do not feel ready for. I'm so glad to do that, and it's a big part of my job at Scarleteen and elsewhere when I work as a sexuality and contraception educator and activist. |
| Welcome to the 6th Feminist Carnival!
Scarleteen
November 13th, 2009
We're pleased to host the 6th edition of the newly reborn Feminist Carnival! In the spirit of rebirth, and in alignment with the readers and mission of Scarleteen, this round puts it's focus on young feminist bloggers and feminist issues particularly pertinent to younger women.The F-Word & The Myth of the Invisible Young FeministWe often hear that younger women are eschewing feminism or that young feminists just aren't out there. But maybe we just need to look a little harder and listen a little more. |
| National Sex Ed Call-In Day: Make Your Voice Heard
Reproductive Health | RHRealityCheck.org - Information, News, Analysis, and Commentary
October 28th, 2009
October is Sex Ed Month of Action and organizers from Advocates for Youth, Catholics for Choice, Choice USA, Law Students for Reproductive Justice, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Planned Parenthood, Sexuality Information Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS), Sierra Club, and Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.Why is comprehensive sex education important?It has been saidtime and time again: abstinence-only-until-marriage programs don't work.�President Obama has called for the end of them in his budget and�Membersof Congress in the House and Senate have held firm by letting abstinence-only-until-marriagefunding streams expire.�The federal government?s own studyof the Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage program found these programs ... |
| They?re Baaaaaack: Abstinence-Only Programs Rely on Scare Tactics and Humiliation to Spread Misinformation
Reproductive Health | RHRealityCheck.org - Information, News, Analysis, and Commentary
October 28th, 2009
Throughout October 2009, young people and their allies are engaging in advocacy efforts in communities across the country to raise awareness for the need for REAL sex education. The Sex Ed Month of Action will engage young people and their allies across the United States in showing their support for comprehensive sex education. On October 15th, 2009, SIECUS ? the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States ? held our seventh annual Back to School briefing on Capitol Hill.� Each year, we review some of the more popular abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula and use this briefing to share our findings with policymakers.� We use this moment to remind policymakers that a ?just say no? approach is failing our kids.� ... |
| New Feminist Disability Blog Launched, and Disability Info on Twitter
Our Bodies Our Blog
October 22nd, 2009
A new blog, FWD/Forward, has recently launched.� The About section of the site explains:FWD/Forward is a group blog written by feminists with disabilities. It is a place to discuss disability issues and the intersection between feminism and disability rights activism. The content here ranges from basic information which is designed ...[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!] |
| Considering the Risks of Egg Donation
Our Bodies Our Blog
October 22nd, 2009
Earlier this month, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into a law a bill, AB 1317, which requires advertisements seeking egg donors for fertility treatment to include a notice about the possible adverse health effects of egg donation.Such advertisements must contain standard warning language that there may be risks associated with ...[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!] |
| "Dying to Get In", Healthcare Reform and Digital Storytelling
culturekitchen - fresh dissent served daily
October 22nd, 2009
Besides making a point about the state of healthcare in the US today, my friends and I created the video above as a form of ?digital storytelling?, using new tools to share an age-old content delivery system. Would facts and figures worked better?I?ve been hearing a lot more about storytelling these days. For example, in a recent NPR segment about storytelling at the Edinburgh festival, an audience member said in her Scottish burr, ?We?ve been so clever about computers and pushed entertainment as far as we can, we?re going back to the original art form?. This might help explain the increased buzz around great user-generated events like the Moth StorySlam and Mortified and radio shows like This American Life and now the Moth Radio Hour. ... |
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