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.
Here’s a little statistic that will make your head spin:
According to a new study, 17 percent of teens have used the rhythm method for birth control, and the number is growing day by day. For those who don’t know, the rhythm method is a form of birth control in which women time when they have sex based on when they’re at their most infertile stages. Apparently, since 2002, the statistic for the rhythm method as a form of birth control has risen a whole 6 percent.
Uh…. wha?!
This is not Juno – this is real life!
According to Joyce Abma, the social scientist at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, the rhythm method doesn’t work 25% of the time. That’s one quarter of the time for all you non-math people. So, you try the whole rhythm thing four times and it’s only going to work for three. Read More »
[The following post is courtesy of Vanessa Cullins, M.D., Vice President of Medical Affairs at Planned Parenthood. If anyone knows anything about the importance of testing and sexual health, it is Dr. Cullins.]
Here’s a disturbing tidbit: A U.S. government study found that an average of 14 percent of college women become infected with a human papilloma virus (HPV) each year. At the end of a three-year study, 43 percent of college women were infected. Why should you care? Because in some cases HPV can lead to cancer. To avoid HPV infection, girls and women should be vaccinated with Gardasil, which prevents infection of the types of HPV that cause 70 percent of the cases of cervical cancer in the U.S.
Here’s another: An estimated 19 million Americans are infected with a new sexually transmitted disease (STD) each year and, by the age of 25, half of all sexually active young people will contract an STD. In fact, at least one in four teenage girls already has an STD.
[The following post is courtesy of Vanessa Cullins, M.D., Vice President of Medical Affairs at Planned Parenthood. Upon speaking with Vanessa and asking for information on STDs we began discussing HIV/AIDS. Naively, I mentioned that college kids are safe and know to protect themselves against this deadly disease. Turns out, I was wrong, and thinking that way is incredibly dangerous.]
Once in a while, we get a variation of this question via e-mail: “I’m a woman in college, and I’m wondering if I still need to be worried about getting HIV. Isn’t it pretty much under control by now?”
HIV/AIDS is definitely still a threat — especially among young people and women. Today, women account for more than one-quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses, and women of color are especially affected by HIV infection and AIDS. The growing complacency about this deadly disease is alarming. You cannot tell from looking at someone whether that person is infected with HIV or any other sexually transmitted disease (STD). That is why all sexually active people need to protect themselves against HIV. Read More »
Did you know that April is STD Awareness Month? Probably not seeing as it’s not the most exciting thing to celebrate. I’m not sure many cities or towns hold parades with condom floats rolling down the street and children with “Yay, Herpes!” balloons tied to their wrists.
Well, it is. And while it’s not the most fun thing to celebrate, STD awareness is incredibly important.
In conjunction with the month long push by the CDC, Planned Parenthood and other medical organizations, CollegeCandy will be halting regular posting tomorrow and devoting the entire day to STD awareness. We’ve teamed up with some really knowledgeable and important people who know their stuff to bring you some pretty important information on STDs and how to protect yourself.
1 in 4 college women have an STD and only 10% know it. 10%!! Check back in with us all day tomorrow to avoid being a statistic. And in the meantime, go get tested. It’s the only way to protect yourself and prevent spreading anything icky on to that guy you’ve been eyeing in the caf.
This year, to celebrate both Valentine’s Day and National Condom Week (from February 14th to the 21st), in order “to raise awareness about condom use, and to make sure people have all the facts about condoms,” Planned Parenthood Los Angeles launched a Facebook applicationthat lets you send virtual versions of Planned Parenthood’s Proper Attire® condoms to all your friends.
The more you send, the more colors and styles you can unlock—from basic to colored, studded, and even extra-large. (Editor’s Note: will the studded one bring me more virtual pleasure?)
Sounds like it couldbe a fun way to spread the message of safe sex with your friends, but does anyone else see how this could be a problem?Most people I know, myself included, are embarrassed about the idea of buying condoms in a store, so why would I want to flaunt a virtual one on my Facebook page? (Although they’d keep your page protected from viruses, am I right?! I’ll be here all week; don’t forget to tip your wait staff!)
Like… what if you accidentally send one to your mom (who recently joined FB for some scary reason)? Or, if she looks at your page and wonders why you’ve been sent 15 virtual condoms? Imagine trying to explain that one to her: “Well, my friends know how many condoms I go through….er….I’m always safe!”
Finals are coming, which means we are spending every waking moment trying to learn all those things we should have been learning all semester. We have only taken one break so far, which led to a drink, then five drinks, then a total late night pizza binge.
But Psych 350 and English 125 aren’t the only things we’ve learned this week (mostly because we still haven’t gotten through a quarter of the material yet):
We also learned that 4th graders know more about dating than college boys, that we can put abortions on our wish lists this year and that lots of guys fear commitment.
I am all about creative gift giving for the holidays (homemade cookbook filled with the best drunk food recipes? Oh yeah), but even I am not sure about the most recent promotion from Planned Parenthood.Gift certificates.
For abortions.
I am about as liberal as they come (as many of the CollegeCandy readers have pointed out), but I don’t know about this one. Will this be viewed as helpful to a woman in need, or simply a promotion of using abortion as a form of birth control? Is Planned Parenthood reaching out to women without healthcare, or are they drawing unnecessary attention to an already controversial subject?
Plus, how would you feel if someone got that for you?
I really don’t know how to feel on this subject, so I thought I’d put it out to you. What do you think of Planned Parenthood’s new promotion?
This year, to celebrate both Valentine’s Day and National Condom Week (from February 14th to the 21st), in order “to raise awareness about condom use, and to make sure people have all the facts about condoms,” Planned Parenthood Los Angeles launched a 
Finals are coming, which means we are spending every waking moment trying to learn all those things we should have been learning all semester. We have only taken one break so far, which led to a drink, then five drinks, then a total
Reality Shows We Miss
Comedy is So In This Season
New Round of Shops at Target!
Unscripted With MIB 3
Most Controversial Comedies
