by Ashley, Youth Activist and Amplify Blogger

Representative Tom Price (R-GA) does not believe any women have EVER had problems accessing birth control. Specifically, he stated, “Bring me one woman who has been left behind. Bring me on. There’s not one.”

I am a woman, a woman with a lot of privilege in my life. I have always had insurance coverage and many other resources, yet I have had challenges accessing birth control. I asked my friends on Facebook if they had experienced challenges as well. Many women responded.  You wanted to be brought women who have be left behind. Here we are, and here are the barriers we have faced.

Money 

In college my birth control cost 60 a month. That was about the same as my gas bill, or groceries for a week. Others have told me their birth control cost anywhere between two dollars to 100 dollars per month. In these tough economic times when students are burdened with increasing student debt and lack of access to good paying jobs with benefits there is little money young people can spare.

by Julia Reticker-Flynn, Manager, Youth Activist Network

by Sarah Audelo, Senior Manager, Domestic Policy

After last week's birth control hearing debacle (at which initially, no women were permitted to speak), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has announced that the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee will be hosting a hearing on “Women’s Health” According to the announcement:

“The sole witness at the hearing will be Ms. Sandra Fluke, a third-year law student at Georgetown University, who was blocked from testifying at a recent Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing by Chairman Darrell Issa . Instead, Chairman Issa brought forward a panel of all men to testify on this topic.”

While great to give Sandra a space to testify (the story she shares is incredibly compelling-you can click here to listen to what she would have said last week at the Oversight hearing), I must admit that my initial reaction was disappointment in the fact that Sandra is the only person sharing testimony.

Why? Because there are many more perspectives Congress needs to hear from on the important topic of contraceptive access…especially when it comes to contraceptive access for women who use birth control to (get ready for it) prevent unintended pregnancy.

Here is a quick list of folks I’d love to see testifying before Congress on this important issue as well as a little background to show why their voices are so important (and why they’re so great).

Rev. Debra Haffner of the Religious Institute. Quoted from their own website, “Founded in 2001, the Religious Institute is a multifaith organization dedicated to advocating for sexual health, education, and justice in faith communities and society. The Religious Institute has emerged as the national leadership organization working at the intersection of sexuality and religion. “

Dr. Renee Jenkins, Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at Howard University. Dr. Jenkins is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Chair of the Pediatric Section of the National Medical Association, member of the Institute of Medicine and serves on the Board on Children, Youth and Families of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Make a donation of $25 or more to Advocates for Youth this week, and we'll send you our new Great American Condom Campaign t-shirt!

The Great American Condom Campaign (GACC) is a youth-led grassroots movement to make the United States a sexually healthy nation.

Each year, Advocates provides more than one million Trojan brand condoms to students who serve as "SafeSites" on college and university campuses across the country. The students distribute condoms, educate their peers about sexual and reproductive health issues, and organize to improve policies that affect young people's health and well-being.

Last year alone, the GACC reached young people at 1,108 public and private universities, trade schools, military schools, religious institutions, and community colleges — many of which have little to no condom access — in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Young People Outraged by Continued Attacks on Birth Control

Statement from Debra Hauser, Executive Director, Advocates for Youth

Today’s announcement from the White House represents a good-faith attempt to balance the critical need for access to birth control coverage with exemptions for religious employers. We support this decision because it keeps the policy focus where it belongs – on women’s health. We will continue to monitor the implementation of this policy to ensure that it benefits all women in the ways the President has outlined.

Young women have much to lose if contraception becomes a political pawn in an election year. They rely on birth control to prevent unplanned pregnancies and for other health reasons. The recent attempts to politicize preventive health care put young women and their health at risk. Along with young people across the country, Advocates for Youth is outraged that a manufactured controversy has turned birth control into a so-called “election year controversy.” Are we seriously having a national debate about birth control?  In 2012?

Now, we will see whether opponents of birth control, both in and out of Congress, will accept “yes” for an answer, or if they will resist this common-sense accommodation offered by the Administration.

by Sarah Audelo, Senior Federal Policy Manager

This year, you have already proven how truly powerful grassroots activists can be. I wish we had time to simply celebrate these victories, but the attacks just keep coming.

After an outpouring of support from activists like you, President Obama and the Department of Health and Human Services announced in January that they are standing strong by no-cost birth control. In that announcement, the administration kept intact a conscience clause for churches. While we believe everyone should have access to basic preventive coverage, the Obama administration has already provided a compromise.

TAKE ACTION: Tell President Obama to stand strong against attacks on birth control coverage. Tell Congress not to undermine women's access to basic health care.

Despite these clear concessions aimed at finding a middle ground, social conservatives are not stopping their relentless attack on access to birth control. Social conservatives — led, as usual, by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — have decided that if you're a student or employee of a religious affiliated organization, they have the right to deny you any medical coverage they don't agree with.

This view is extreme, but they're making sure people listen. If you look at the media, birth control is suddenly a "controversial issue."

It's 2012. Are we seriously talking about denying women access to birth control? Apparently, we are.

by Trina Scott, Senior Program Manager, Young Women of Color Empowerment

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a national HIV testing and treatment community mobilization initiative targeted at Blacks in the United States and the Diaspora.  Watch and share the video on how young people can get involved and protect themselves, after the jump. We’ll also be tweeting facts and resources throughout the day to #NBHAAD – follow us and re-tweet!  

African Americans/Blacks  experience disproportionate rates of HIV and AIDS.  In their lifetimes, 1 in 16 Black men  and 1 in 32 Black women will be diagnosed with HIV; and African Americans make up 14% of the population but account for 44% of all new HIV infections.

Why the disproportionate rates?

 According to the CDC:

 “ Blacks do not engage in more risky behavior than members of other racial/ethnic populations. Many of the factors that place blacks at higher risk for chronic diseases also place them at increased risk for HIV. For example, social and economic realities prevalent among blacks—such as higher levels of poverty, racial discrimination, limited access to health care and housing, and higher rates of incarceration—are associated with  increased HIV risk.”

In fact, studies have found that African Americans are more at risk for HIV and STIs even when they have the same or fewer risk behaviors.  

So what will turn the HIV epidemic around for African Americans?  It will take a combination of approaches.  That’s why there are four focal points of this year’s NBHAAD: education, testing, involvement, and treatment.  

by Debra Hauser 

In January 2012, Debra Hauser transitioned into her new role succeeding James Wagoner as Executive Director of Advocates for Youth. Together, they take a look at Advocates’ place in the movement, opportunities on the horizon, and lessons learned along the way. 

Read James Wagoner's "Looking Back"

My first reflection as President of Advocates for Youth is what a kick it was to work hand-in-hand with James Wagoner. Sure, he had his idiosyncratic side (using terms like “troglodyte” to describe a recalcitrant Democratic Committee Chairman, or wearing his omni-present black T-shirt inside-out on occasion) but he was also visionary, authentic, transparent, and a really great friend. I’m going to miss him a great deal. But I’m also looking forward to a continuing partnership with James in his new role as a part-time advisor to the organization- particularly now that I might get a chance once in a while to tell him what to do!

But, seriously, I am both excited and newly energized to be taking over as Executive Director of Advocates for Youth. I love our cause and the young people we serve. I value Advocates’ staff for their passion and commitment to our issues. I admire and respect my colleagues in the field for their incredible expertise and steadfast work in challenging times. I am excited to continue collaborating on efforts to champion the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people.

That said, I thought I would provide colleagues and friends of Advocates a sense of where I see the organization headed over the coming years – and perhaps a snapshot of my own priorities within that journey.