We recently announced that a coalition of partners are calling on President Obama, Congress, and HHS to formally recognize National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day.  Now, we need your help.  Call your Congressional Representative today and ask him or her to support the National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day by signing on to the letter asking President Obama to formally recognize the Day.

Click through for a sample script and contact information.

by Julia Reticker-Flynn, Manager, Youth Activist Network

On August 1, 2012, under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), private insurance plans will begin to cover the cost of birth control – meaning millions of women will no longer have to pay the up to $600 a year birth control can cost. 

Most young women with insurance will soon be able to choose among birth-control methods -- oral contraception, injectables, the ring, IUDs, and others. They will be able to select the method that best fits their needs and lives, without cost standing in the way of their decision. You helped make birth control with no co-pay a reality. You sent thousands of letters and participated throughout the year in a campaign urging President Obama and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to stand firm and supporting them in the face of relentless attacks from social conservatives. And you were heard!

by Debra Hauser, President

These days we do not have many occasions to celebrate a victory in women’s health. But, today we can mark on our calendars. Today, most private insurance companies in the United States will begin to cover all FDA-approved forms of contraception, free of co-pays. This is a BIG step forward, especially for many young women, for whom the cost of contraception can be prohibitive.  Most young women with insurance will soon be able to choose among birth-control methods -- oral contraception, injectables, the ring, IUDs, and others.  They will be able to select the method that best fits their needs and lives, without cost standing in the way of their decision.  With this new mandate, making women’s preventive care affordable for those with insurance, we are inching closer to the day when all young women will be able to choose the type of contraception that is right for them; when they can take full control of protecting their health and planning for their futures.

Unfortunately, over the last few months, there have been many attempts to do away with or limit the preventive health services to be covered under the Affordable Care Act – attempts that are likely to continue.  

We have just wrapped up our work at the XIX International AIDS Conference (IAC) and wanted to share what an exciting couple of weeks it has been!  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, UNAIDS Director Michael Sidibe, and many celebrities all made appearances; the conference was a constant bustle of activity, as high level meetings, workshops, receptions, fundraisers, and protests went on throughout.  An overarching theme of the conference was a call to join together, muster the political will, and pool our resources to end the epidemic.

Advocates participated extensively in the IAC.  From organizing the Youth PreConference, to recruiting volunteers and cosponsoring  the opening  ceremony of the AIDS Quilt on the National Mall, to sharing expertise and elevating the voices and experiences of young people on multiple panels and workshops.  Staff and youth activists worked tirelessly to ensure young people’s meaningful participation at the Conference. 

The week culminated in Advocates spearheading an effort by more than 15 coalition partners to create National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day and calling on President Obama, Congress, and HHS to formally recognize the day and demonstrate the political will necessary to ensure all young people’s rights to the sexual health education and services that can help them protect their health and save their lives.  

Hear more about our IAC activities after the jump!