Posts Tagged: young people
The Fiscal Cliff: Not Sexy but a Big Problem for your Sex Life
This post is part of a series from Campus Progress There is nothing sexy about the fiscal showdown in Washington. It’s a complicated mess. Despite that, it’s imperative that our Representatives hear from young people, and critical that they see the connection between sexual and reproductive health and the fiscal cliff. The fiscal cliff is more than a witty metaphor. Plummeting over the fiscal ledge will result in enormous cuts in Title X family planning services, benefits from the Affordable Care Act, funding for comprehensive sex education programs, and maternal health programs. And in a political climate where these programs already hang in the balance, we can’t afford to stand this one out. As young people, we already face a lot of unique barriers when it comes to accessing services and living sexually… Read more »
Emergency Contraception Should Be Accessible to All!
Another day, another trip to the pharmacy to get my prescriptions; when I enter there is a flurry of movement and excitement. Here birth control and emergency contraception or EC are just prescriptions easily obtained if necessary. But for young women all over the country, emergency contraception is a necessary medication, and many women don’t currently have access to it. The history of hormonal pills dates back as early as the 1920’s when using estrogen hormones was experimented on animals to control their procreation. This medicine wasn’t applied to humans until the 1960’s. These initial studies led to the creation of what we now know as birth control pills, and these are available in so many varieties there is virtually something for everyone. Morning after pills were being tested as… Read more »
California’s Ban on Reparative Therapy aka No More Pray the Gay Away for Kids
This past October, California outlawed a practice that Governor Brown noted as, “A dustbin of quackery”. I’m a pretty big fan of both California and Governor Brown; I knew this story must be juicy. The more I researched into this topic the more I was in awe. Was this seriously going on in the 21st century? How unscientific, biased, and messed up can an institution get? This saddening and historic strain of therapy is known as, “Reparative Therapy”. The goal of Reparative Therapy is to change the sexuality of the patient. The idea is that if a patient wishes to change sexual orientation- through certain types of talk therapy they can be “cured”. The problem is that there is no medical or scientific backing for these practices (which is because there isn’t… Read more »
So… Where Are All the Millennial Feminists?
Last month, Taylor Swift’s “I’m not a feminist, lol it’s not about boys against girls” comment springboarded a lot of Internet feelings and commentary. Jezebel’s Dodai Stewart pulled her hair out and congratulated Swift for missing the point of feminism. Meanwhile, a writer over at XOJane used Swift’s anti-feminism to justify her own tragically limited worldview. Personally, I sat back and patiently waited for Swift-related headlines to stop appearing in my Google Reader. I mean, I didn’t exactly expect a singer-songwriter who once waxed poetically, “So tell my friends that I’m obsessive and crazy/that’s fine/I’ll tell mine that you’re gay” to be a card-toting member of NOW or anything. Just when I thought the “Taylor Swift is not a feminist” horse had been beaten to death, CNN has picked up… Read more »
Public Service Announcement — Abstinence-Only Programs Hurt our Young People
The Presidential election is finally over and now that we know we have four more years with President Obama, we need to look at our youth and address an issue that is ever present, and is becoming more alarming every day. The prevalence of Abstinence-only programs that is crippling our young people. I reside on the border of Orange and Seminole Counties in Orlando Florida, an area where being conservative is the norm. I can’t help but think about all the youth in my area that need comprehensive sex education information are being shafted. In this county discussing sex is taboo and many students don’t even bother to ask if they do have questions because they will just be chastised and shunned. I know the critics will say if you… Read more »
My Reflections
The battles have been fought, the words are immortalized in internet memes, and the impact of this election is rippling throughout the country. When the champagne and tears stop flowing in the morning the time comes when we examine the journey we’ve traveled this past year. The time has come to examine what YOU have done to contribute to where we are now. If you feel that last night was a loss, ask yourself what you didn’t do. Did you raise your voice when you felt wronged? Did you stand up for your beliefs in the face of opposition? Did you even take the time to put your beliefs on a ballot? If you feel that these next four years is a great opportunity to further progress, ask yourself if you did… Read more »
There’s nothing like the first time…
Since the 2008 election, 17 million more Millennials are eligible to vote and many of them will soon get their first taste of civic duty. Share this video and help get first time voters to the polls on November 6th! httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87fCDDfGGQ4 If you’d like to help our young organizers get out the vote and have your own “Voting is Sexy” t-shirt, consider making a donation to Choice USA: http://bit.ly/Sw32Fg
Domestic Violence, Reproductive Justice & Young People Writing Their Own Narrative
“He refuses to use a condom. I’ve bought them and he throws them out.” –Survivor on the National Domestic Violence Hotline “He threatened me when I asked to use birth control, and always refused to use condoms after we became exclusive. When we decided to continue the pregnancy and marry, the overt abuse started within days of our wedding.” –Jessica’s Story The stories above are an everyday reality for women who are in unhealthy and abusive relationships. For those who don’t know, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Each October, national and local domestic violence organizations and activists work to mourn those who have died, celebrate those who have survived, and connect those who work to end violence. The statistics around domestic and dating violence are staggering: 1 in 4… Read more »
Juno, Choice, and Stigmatizing Teen Pregnancy
When Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman’s Juno premiered five years ago, it became an immediate critical and theatrical success. Oprah, barometer of all things of-the-moment, called the indie dramedy “fresh.” Legendary movie critic Robert Ebert hailed it as “the best movie of the year.” What makes this all the more fascinating is that Juno isn’t just a little quirky independent film in a similar vein as Garden State and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. It’s also a film about a pregnant teen, and her remarkably solitary quest to deal with her pregnancy accordingly, in a way that works for her. Simply put, Juno is all about choice. One of the most remarkable things about the 2007 film was that it put the power back in the hands of a pregnant youth…. Read more »
YOPI at its Finest
Last week I had pleasure of attending the Youth Organizing and Policy Institute (YOPI), and it was such a great experience. The conference began on Friday with an activity where we were introduced to the concept of creating a story of self, and exactly what that would look like. The segment also included a part where they announced the outcomes, where they succeeded, and the challenges that are still faced by Planned Parenthood today. There was also a brief overview of Planned Parenthood and the services that are offered there. One Point I especially enjoyed was the Reproductive Justice crash course that was given. The presenters started off with the Sonya Renee, “What Women Deserve.” It definitely appealed to my reproductive health heart strings, and put me in a mood… Read more »
