The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today released the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) data, a national survey that assesses a wide variety of health behaviors – from smoking to fruit consumption to condom use – among young people.

According to the CDC, “More than 16,000 U.S. high school students participated in the 2009 National YRBS. Parental permission was obtained for students to participate in the survey.  Student participation was voluntary, and responses were anonymous. The 2009 report includes national data and data from surveys conducted in 42 states and 20 large urban school districts.”

The full 2009 survey data and information can be found at www.cdc.gov/yrbs.

by Viviana Santiago, Intern, Domestic Policy 

In November 2009, a 27-year-old pregnant mother of four suffering from pulmonary hypertension was admitted to St. Joseph's Catholic Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. This condition has a mortality rate of between 30% and 56% in pregnant women. The pulmonary hypertension and right heart failure from which the woman was suffering led doctors to conclude that unless she aborted her 11-week-old fetus, the probability of death for her and her 11-week fetus was nearly 100%.

As the woman was too weak to be moved to another hospital, Sister Margaret McBride, a long-standing hospital administrator, member of the ethics panel at St. Joseph’s, and liaison to the diocese, authorized the young woman to have the abortion she needed.  As a result, the young woman’s life and health were preserved.

This week, upon learning of the abortion, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix immediately excommunicated Sister Margaret McBride for her role in supporting the abortion. Excommunication is the most serious penalty the church can impose.

For me, this story brings a number of questions to the forefront:

1) Are Catholic hospitals safe for pregnant women?  Are they places in which medical decisions will be based on what is best for the woman's health, not on religious dogma? To what code of ethics should these hospitals be held in terms of patient care?
 

by Emily Bridges, Director, Public Information Services 

Several heartbreaking articles about AIDS in Uganda and other low and middle income countries appeared in this Sunday's New York Times.

Uganda is often regarded as a model or microcosm of the fight against the HIV pandemic in Africa, and two of these articles address the situation there.  In sum:

1) "Casual sex" is on the rise
2) Condom use rates are decreasing and condom use is stigmatized
3) Not enough condoms are available
4) Few are fully educated about HIV and AIDS
5) High-risk situations like transactional sex and cross-generational sex contribute to the epidemic
6) The lack of a method that would combat HIV but not prevent pregnancy prevents many couples from using condoms
7) Funds to treat AIDS grow ever more limited as the world economy continues to falter.
8) A cure or vaccine seems to be nowhere in sight.

What can solve this terrible problem?

Advocates for Youth, Answer and SIECUS are proud to announce the launch of the Future of Sex Ed (FoSE) website (www.FutureofSexEd.org). The website is the  culmination of our efforts to create a national dialogue about the future of sex education and to promote the institutionalization of comprehensive sexuality education in public schools.

At its core, sex education comprises the foundation upon which young people develop knowledge, attitudes and skills that help them as they develop. All young people need and have the right to age-appropriate, honest sexuality education to help them take personal responsibility for their sexual health, both now and in the future.

The Future of Sex Ed project provides the tools for advancing comprehensive sex education at both national local levels, including:

• Background information on the history of sex education and how we got to where we are today
• Information on how to advocate for comprehensive sex education in your school or school district
• Guidelines for providing comprehensive sexuality education, and
• A framework for advancing comprehensive sexuality education.  

FoSE partner organizations also offer technical assistance to those who are or are seeking to become advocates for comprehensive sex education.  Visit www.FutureofSexEd.org for more information and resources.