Yesterday, I wrote about the controversy surrounding Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s decision to defund Planned Parenthood. Today, the Komen Foundation has issued a statement apologizing for that decision. They have also announced that they will “continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities.”
The Komen Foundation defunded Planned Parenthood because of a new rule that prevents them from supporting organizations that are under government investigation. They now say that they will amend that rule so that it will only apply to investigations that are “criminal and conclusive in nature,” not politically motivated like the Planned Parenthood investigation. You can read their full statement here. Read More »
If you’ve been on Facebook or Twitter lately (and don’t even try to tell me you haven’t been), then you’ve heard about the controversial decision made by Susan G. Komen for the Cure to defund Planned Parenthood. The Komen Foundation – the nation’s largest breast cancer charity – had a longstanding partnership with Planned Parenthood, providing funds for cancer screenings and education for low-income women.
Planned Parenthood reports that their grants from the Komen Foundation totaled about $680,000 last year and $580,000 the year before. Over the past five years, Planned Parenthood centers have performed over four million breast exams, and roughly 170,000 of those were made possible by Komen grants.
The loss of this funding under any circumstances would be devastating. Planned Parenthood provides reproductive and sexual healthcare, information and education to almost five million men, women and teenagers every year. One in five American women has visited a Planned Parenthood health center at least once in her life. And Planned Parenthood is the only reproductive and sexual health resource for thousands of low-income women and women who live in rural and under-served areas. Read More »
Obama has endured a ton of criticism in his presidency. His push for health care reform was socialist. His health care reform wasn’t socialist enough. He doesn’t know how to stand up to Republicans. He’s too passive. He’s trying to run our country into the ground by spending too much money. He’s not spending enough to assist the poor. He’s too soft on terrorism. Osama Bin Laden shouldn’t have been killed before having a trial. The list could go on, and on, and on. While I proudly voted for him in 2008, I will freely admit that I feel he’s dropped the ball on important issues. That said, today is his birthday, and I’d like to take a moment to point out some of the great things he has done in the last 2.5 years.
1. Fought for children to have access to their parents’ insurance plan until they’re 26.
This is near and very dear to my heart. I hadn’t been to a doctor in years. I made it through college with nothing more severe than a cold and a bruised ego from too many bad decisions. Naturally, 2.5 seconds after graduating, I got hit with a gnarly kidney infection. Pre-Obama, this would have meant that I was SOL because I was no longer a student. Luckily, that is no longer the case. Especially in this rough economic climate where millions and millions of people are unemployed or in jobs that offer no benefits, this is a great law that protects so many of us.
2. Cracked down on aggressive marketing of credit cards to college students.
We all know the danger of credit cards, but the lure of having hundreds (or thousands) of dollars at your immediate disposal can be great…but not if you lack the means to pay the bill every month. Credit card companies used to actively push credit cards onto students, who usually don’t have enough funds to be responsible credit card owners. So it was not uncommon to graduate college with thousands of dollars in credit debt in addition to student loan debt — making it easier for companies to justify raising interest rates (more debt = higher risk). Now anyone under 21 must have a co-signer and/or verification of independent income. Credit card debt can have a harrowing effect on one’s financial status for many, many years and Obama’s emphasis on protecting college consumers is definitely admirable. Read More »
If you’ve been neglecting the news in favor if E! and had your homepage set to Perez since forever ago, you may not have heard that there’s a very good chance the government is going to be shutting down tonight. If you’re rolling your eyes and thinking this doesn’t matter to your life, think again.
Here are five reasons why you should care–and how the shut down of the Federal Government is going to affect you. Which it will.
1. Once the government shuts down, all official offices will be closed, including the sector responsible for travel visas and passports. So all you kids with upcoming study abroad prospects, great summer vacation plans or those of you with expired visas and hopes of a quick trip to Canada (for some legal 19-year-old drinking) can kiss that all good bye.
2. When the IRS closes, they won’t be able to send out that tax refund you’ve been setting aside for cute new spring dresses to rock to class once it warms up. Sure, the post office will still get packages out, but what good is online shopping if you can’t pay for it?
3. If your parents work for the government they’ll be sent home, without pay. Or worse, they might be asked to come in and work for free. Federal employees aren’t just senators and representatives, but account for 4.4 million employees. Check out this HUGE list of all the jobs that are funded by the government.
4. Military personnel will go unpaid. Know someone abroad fighting for our freedom? Apparently that sacrifice isn’t enough. Now they’ll be serving for free until this is resolved.
5. The EPA will cease cleaning up toxic waste sites once offices close on Friday. Yum, toxins in my Nalgene seem like a fun change.
Both sides are arguing about where and how to spend funds, and wasted time and failed negations have left us with only hours until the deadline. Among those issues are the Republicans’ aim to defund Planned Parenthood and refuse to approve a budget that includes Planned Parenthood, which provides healthcare to thousands of low-income women and children.
With the latest events surrounding Planned Parenthood, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much it costs to be responsibly sexually active. Birth control, condoms, PAP smears, STI tests, and Plan B — it adds up fast!
In Canada, the cost of medical tests are usually covered under our provincial health care. As far as birth control goes, my school’s health insurance plan covers the vast majority of the cost every month, leaving me to pay a tab that usually ends up anywhere between $3 and $5.
But for Americans without access to insurance or an institution like Planned Parenthood, the cost of having a healthy active sex life can be huge. Prices tend to vary from place to place, but according to the Planned Parenthood website, here are some ball-park figures of how expensive it is to get sexy:
Standard medical exam (needed in order to receive a BC prescription): $35-$250
There’s something in the government water because lately it feels like all they want to do is control our uterus’s (Uteri?). Like, back off politicians, I know how this organ works, and until you get your period in the middle of 10th grade math class while wearing khakis, don’t tell me what to do with my body. And I’m not the only one who feels this way. A bunch of awesome college students made this awesome video. It’s a great midday pick-me-up and we suggest watching it, sharing it, and being so inspired that you do something crazy, like write to your senators.
And to all the elders reading this, know this: just because we had helicopter parents and just because our helicopter parents made sure we won a participation trophy for every sport we played, does not mean we’re a bunch of apathetic sexters just sitting around. We’re young, we have a voice, and unlike you, we know how to use social media to get our voices heard.
Abortion and reproductive health have been in the news in a big way this past week:
The House in Arizona passed a bill to ban abortions performed on the basis of race or sex. This means women would have to justify the reason they want to have an abortion. This is especially problematic because a selective body could try and target a women’s race as the reason she wants an abortion rather than the fact that maybe she can’t afford to support a child at that stage in her life.
On Capitol Hill, Republican Congressman Pence is leading an attack against Planned Parenthood. He’s calling for the removal of funding for Title X, the national family planning program. Title X allows women to access birth control, cancer screenings, HIV testing and Planned Parenthood health centers. One in five American women makes at least one visit to Planned Parenthood during their lifetime, so this will affect women both at the moment and in the future. The reasoning behind the bill? To cut funding to an organization that provides abortion. It is already illegal to use government money to fund abortions, meaning this bill is really just cutting down on the center’s ability to dole out information on safe-sex, test people for STDs and help women (including college women!) get affordable birth control. Read More »
A lot is happening in the world right now. Egypt said no more to their President, and since then, other countries such as Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, Iran, Kuwait, Algeria, and Dijbouti have actively started seeking change from their governments. Tons of stuff is happening back in the United States too. There are the Wisconsin protests rising up against the newly elected governor’s budget, the House voting to ban federal funding to Planned Parenthood, possible threats to cut funding for programs like Americorps, and of course, we’re still in a terrible economic recession.
As college students and young women, we should be aware of what’s going on around us. For example, the federal funding to Planned Parenthood could hurt women across the country and prevent us from having affordable birth control options (such as the Pill and IUDs) and annual health screenings. Sometimes sitting around doesn’t seem good enough, but people often say “I’d get involved, but I don’t know how.” Consider this your friendly college guide to activism so you can get involved:
Utilize Facebook and other social media platforms: The world of social media is meant to be an extension of your personality, so why not use it to share what you believe in? Passionate about animal rights — don’t be afraid to ‘Like’ PETA or post a video about puppy mills. Are you upset that funding was cut in your home state for education? Post an article about it on your blog — use it to start a dialogue. Tweet about what’s on your mind. Send out Facebook event invites for club meetings about campus fundraising or for the Gay/Straight alliance you just joined.
Register to vote: This is straightforward and simple. By registering to vote, even if elections are right around the corner, you are taking a proactive step to say, “Hey, I want to voice my opinion.” You can register to vote here.
![Channing Tatum’s 18 Hottest Moments [Photos]](http://s2.wp.com/imgpress?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcollegecandy.files.wordpress.com%2F2012%2F01%2Fchanning-tatum-lead11.jpg&resize=225,135 "Channing Tatum’s 18 Hottest Moments [Photos]")
Obama has endured a ton of criticism in his presidency. His push for health care reform was socialist. His health care reform wasn’t socialist enough. He doesn’t know how to stand up to Republicans. He’s too passive. He’s trying to run our country into the ground by spending too much money. He’s not spending enough to assist the poor. He’s too soft on terrorism. Osama Bin Laden shouldn’t have been killed before having a trial. The list could go on, and on, and on. While I proudly voted for him in 2008, I will freely admit that I feel he’s dropped the ball on important issues. That said, today is his birthday, and I’d like to take a moment to point out some of the great things he has done in the last 2.5 years.
If you’ve been neglecting the news in favor if E! and had your homepage set to Perez since forever ago, you may not have heard that there’s a very good chance the government is going to be shutting down tonight. If you’re rolling your eyes and thinking this doesn’t matter to your life, think again.
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