by Emily Bridges, Director, Public Information Services

Two reports with ramifications for youth's reproductive and sexual health and rights came out this week.

GLSEN's Playgrounds and Prejudice: Elementary School Climate in the United States found that almost half of students hear "gay" used in a negative way or hear the word "retard" used as an insult - these are the most commonly heard negative remarks in elementary schools.  Over a third have heard sexist or gender-stereotyping remarks. And, while most students feel safe at school, gender-nonconforming students are much likelier to feel unsafe in school.  Students who were bullied were also unhappier in school and less likely to report getting good grades.  

We already know that in high school, anti-gay bias is rampant:  85% of LGBT students report hearing it.  And we know that LGB youth in high school are much more likely to feel unsafe.  It's clear that bullying can begin at a very early age for LGBT youth.  (The late Lawrence King, murdered by a classmate at 14, reported being called homophobic names  and bullied in third grade.)  That's one of many reasons why the new National Sexuality Education Standards are so important.

The Standards teach as early as second grade that bullying and teasing are wrong.  It's also why laws such as those proposed in Michigan and Tennessee which create a so-called religious exemption to rules against bullying are so misguided.   No matter what age young people are, and no matter what excuse someone uses, it's not ok to bully a student because of their sexual orientation or gender expression.  It's wrong, and it can cause long-lasting damage.

Also this week, the Guttmacher Institute released the report Induced Abortion: Incidence and Trends Worldwide from 1995 to 2008.  They found that, with some regions excepted,  there has been a slowdown in the abortion rate that corresponds with increased use of contraception.  They also found that unsafe abortion remains a concern, especially in the Global South.  Half of the world's abortions are unsafe, and most unsafe abortions occur in the Global South.  Almost 50,000 women die from unsafe abortion every year.  And as we know, outlawing the practice doesn't fix the problem:  according to Guttmacher, "restrictive abortion laws are not associated with lower rates of abortion."   In fact it's the opposite:

For example, the 2008 abortion rate was 29 per 1,000 women of childbearing age in Africa and 32 per 1,000 in Latin America, regions where abortion is highly restricted in almost all countries. In contrast, in Western Europe, where abortion is generally permitted on broad grounds, the rate is 12.