Access Denied: Birth Control for College and Low-Income Women

Birth control is a basic health care need for some young women, a smart pregnancy prevention method for others. So why has Congress made it more difficult to access for low-income and college women?

Turning Protests Into Pro-Choice Action

Dian Harrison is President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate.

The 34^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade on January 22^nd, is a cause for celebration for all who care about women's health and especially for those of us in the reproductive rights movement who work to protect and extend this legacy every day. It also provides a valuable opportunity to promote prevention.

Prevention - of unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and cervical cancer - is a goal that everyone should be able to support. Not only is prevention good health policy, it also makes good fiscal sense. For example, in California, every dollar spent preventing unintended pregnancy, saves California an additional $5.33 in future medical and social services costs, according to the California Research Bureau.

Unfortunately, there are still many who prefer to use this anniversary to stage an annual conflict here in San Francisco.

2007: A New Year for Choice!

Dian Harrison is President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate.

We did it! On November 7, Californians defeated a dangerous parental notification initiative for the second year in a row. Proposition 85 suffered an even greater defeat than last year's Proposition 73, proving once again that when voters understand the dangerous consequences of notification laws and the anti-choice motives behind them, they vote "No."

As a member of the Campaign for Real Teen Safety, PPGG was part of an incredible coalition of doctors, nurses, teachers, civil rights, labor and LGBT groups.

California was not alone. Pro-choice voters across the nation came out to protect women's health and rights.

When it Comes to Preventing Teen Pregnancy, Talk’s Not Cheap But Notification Laws Are

Dian Harrison is the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate. This is the first of a series of posts about California's Parental Notification Ballot Inititiative.

October is "Let's Talk Month." It's a great opportunity to let the young people in your life know that you are there for them and ready to help, even when they are facing issues that can be tough to talk about, like sexual health.

Research has shown that teens that have good communication with their families are more likely to delay becoming sexually active and are also more likely to be safe if they do become active. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, "Teens who are close to their parents and feel supported by them are more likely to abstain from sex, wait until they are older to begin having sex, have fewer sexual partners, and use contraception more consistently."