The war cry of the GOP (Grand Old Puritans) is that the HPV vaccine is a license for public fornication. This is how they rally their financial base. I get that, but the press doesn’t have to take the bait. It only becomes a story if the press makes it so.
As I read Jezebel’s piece on evil birth control manufacturers, I found myself wondering who exactly is running these malicious pharmaceutical companies? Is it, as I see it in my head, a bunch of old pasty men—not a vagina in sight?
Teenagers already get around the legal barriers that exist and will continue existing in accessing emergency contraception. While these steps showcase their maturity to be able to safely and smartly take emergency contraception, we should not have to force teenagers to go around the system to access a pill they need in a timely manner.
Diseases such as diabetes and cancer cause tens of millions of deaths each year, many of which are premature. Once the burden of rich countries, these non-communicable diseases are increasingly affecting individuals in low- and middle-income countries where they impose heavy burdens on already fragile health systems. Among the most deadly—and preventable—of these diseases is cervical cancer.
A 911 came out today from SIECUS to call and demand ab-only funding be removed from the 2012 Appropriations Bill. I have cut and pasted the call to action at the end of this email. Meanwhile, read up on why ab-only is so bad; I do the research so you don't have to!
I got to thinking about what else the President’s decision portends. The essence of successful politicians like, say, Margaret Hamburg and Kathleen Sebelius, is three-fold. What starts all over every morning is the (political) big leagues ballgame. What starts over every day in these big leagues, just like the baseball ones, is a game that is played only one way: the hardball way.
Today, 14 Senators, 13 Democrats and one independent, wrote HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asking her to provide them with the scientific evidence and rationale for her decision to deny access to Plan B to teens over the counter
Whether President Obama was compelled to weave the bubble gum narrative for political gain or because it truly reflects his thinking, the result is the same. Complex sexual health issues get overly simplified, society focuses on stigma more than solution, and young people are left with policy decisions that don't begin to match the weight of their lived experiences nor keep them "safe."
