An archive of the Daily News featured on the homepage.

April 2010

April 29, 2010

• Ill. Lawmaker's Engagement Spotlights Gay Marriage (AP)
  Mell rose on the Illinois House floor Wednesday to announce her engagement and say she looks forward to the day when same-sex couples can marry in Illinois.
  
• Bill Introduced to Promote Sexual and Reproductive Health in Developing Nations (Ms. Magazine)
  Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) introduced the Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Act of 2010 late last week.
  
  
• Parents, if you don't have The Talk with your kids, someone else will: Connie Schultz (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
  Remember, dear parents: When it comes to sex, you are your children's primary teachers.

April 28, 2010

• AIDS Programs Hit Setbacks in Africa (Newsweek)
  One year ago, Obama unveiled a new $63 billion global health initiative. So why are advocacy groups raising the alarm about HIV treatment shortages?
  
  
• WHO commends China on repeal of AIDS ban (CNN)
  The World Health Organization commended China for repealing a 20-year-old ban on foreigners with HIV and AIDS from entering the country.
  
  
• Fighting a social media addiction (Washington Post)
  Researchers found that American college students struggle to function without their media connection to the world.

April 27, 2010

• Okla. House overrides abortion restrictions vetoes (Washington Post)
  The Oklahoma House voted overwhelmingly Monday to override vetoes of two restrictive abortion measures.
  
  
• D.C. suburbs can no longer draw the shades on AIDS crisis (Washington Post)
  Almost half of the folks infected with the virus in our region live in the 'burbs
  
  
• 'BMI is not one size fits all' for women and obesity (USA Today)
  A new study says federal guidelines on obesity should be revised so more women fit into the category of "obese."
  

April 26, 2010

• States seek new ways to restrict abortions (USA Today)
  Dozens of states are passing or debating new restrictions on abortion, a trend fueled in part by passage of the nation's new health care law.
  
  
• South Africa Redoubles Efforts Against AIDS (New York Times)
  The country is now in the midst of a feverish buildup of testing, treatment and prevention that United Nations officials say is the largest and fastest expansion of AIDS services ever attempted by any nation.
  
  
• Adultery, in many states, is still a crime (USA Today)
  Across the country, some social conservatives are fighting for what they view as a critical article of faith: criminal adultery laws.

April 23, 2010

• Elton John's letter to Ryan White, 20 years after his death from AIDS (Washington Post)
  Ryan, when you were alive, your story sparked a national conversation about AIDS. But despite all the progress in the past 20 years, the dialogue has waned.
  
  
• Tennessee Legislators Approve Ban on State-Backed Insurance Abortion Coverage (MS)
  Both the Tennessee state House and state Senate passed a bill this week that would ban offering abortion coverage in the state's to-be-created health insurance exchange.
  
  
• Female condom empowers women to save themselves (USA Today)
  The female condom is only one tool in helping women help themselves, but it's a critical one. It's high time that women have the opportunity to love their men while loving themselves just as much. 

April 22, 2010

• Love, Sex, Freedom and the Paradox of the Pill (Time)
  The pill's FDA approval 50 years ago rearranged the furniture of human relations in ways that we've argued about ever since.
  
  
• Obama wants Supreme Court nominee who supports abortion rights (Washington Post)
  President Obama forcefully stated his desire to nominate a Supreme Court candidate who supports abortion rights, saying Wednesday that it is "very important" to have a justice who interprets the Constitution as protecting individual rights, including women's.
  
  
• Virginia legislature restricts abortion funding (Washington Post)
  The Virginia General Assembly on Wednesday accepted proposals from Gov. Robert F. McDonnell to restrict state funding for abortions
  
  
• Lesbian student seeks damages for Miss. prom flap (AP)
  The lesbian teenager from Mississippi who challenged her school district's ban on same-sex prom dates is seeking unspecified monetary damages, claiming she was publicly humiliated.
  
  
• 16 and Pregnant and Almost True (Mother Jones)
  16 and Pregnant purports to show the 'reality' of teen pregnancy in America by filming the every simper and pout of pregnant teenagers from about the second trimester through the first few months of their new baby's life.

April 21, 2010

• Democrats Spend $250 Million on Ineffective Abstinence Programs (Huffington Post)
  When no Republicans were involved in this effort, how could this have happened?
  
  
• College hookups aren't as common as people think (USA Today)
  Young people may not be "hooking up" on college campuses as much as the popular culture suggests.
  
  
•  Our view on campus clubs: Religious freedom? Yes. But don't fund discrimination.  (USA Today)
  Hastings and other schools should bend over backward to allow students to practice their religion freely, but without putting the school or taxpayers who fund it in the awkward position of endorsing discrimination.
  
  
• Uganda launches national development plan (Guardian)
  President Yoweri Museveni yesterday outlined a series of proposals intended to firmly set Uganda on the path to becoming a middle-income country.
   

April 20, 2010

• Okla. lawmakers approve several abortion bills (AP)
  The Oklahoma Senate approved several bills Monday that opponents say would make it more difficult or uncomfortable for women to get abortions.
  
  
• Ruling on racial isolation in Miss. schools reflects troubling broader trend (Washington Post)
  Last week, a federal judge ruled that a school board policy here in Walthall County has had the effect of creating "racially identifiable" schools in violation of a 1970 federal desegregation order.
  
  
• Many teens send 100-plus texts a day, survey says (CNN)
  Text messaging has become the preferred method of communication for American teenagers, with one in three teens sending more than 100 texts a day, a new survey says.
  
  
• With AIDS, Time to Get Beyond Blame (New York Times)
  The fact is that for most new infections, the language of culpability and blame simply no longer applies.
  
  
• Before Gay Marriage Fight, Clashes on Free Speech (New York Times)
  That sound in the distance at the Supreme Court these days is the debate over same-sex marriage.
  
  
• Condoms In Jails: A Controversial Intervention (KPBS)
  Distributing condoms to inmates is one way to prevent the spread of HIV, but that idea remains controversial.
  
  
• The Birth-Control Riddle (Wall Street Journal)
  Fifty Years After the Pill's Debut, Almost Half of Pregnancies in the U.S. Are Unplanned 
  

April 15, 2010

• Health Law Rolls Back Abortion Rights, Groups Say (NPR)
  Recent fights between anti-abortion groups could leave people with the impression that the new health overhaul law expands women's access to abortion. But abortion-rights groups vehemently disagree.
  
  
• Unwelcome at Prom, but Leading Pride Parade (NY Times Blog)
  Constance McMillen will be an honored guest at an even bigger celebration: she has been named a grand marshal of the gay pride parade in New York.
  
  
• 'I am transgender, and I want my voice to be heard' (CNN)
  Transgender experiences with workplace, family, and transitioning.

April 14, 2010

• Maternal Deaths Decline Sharply Across the Globe (New York Times)
  For the first time in decades, researchers are reporting a significant drop worldwide in the number of women dying each year from pregnancy and childbirth
  
• Nebraska Law Sets Limits on Abortion (New York Times)
  Gov. Dave Heineman of Nebraska signed a  law on Tuesday banning most abortions 20 weeks after conception or later on the theory that a fetus, by that stage in pregnancy, has the capacity to feel pain.
  
  
• My abortion, their political ploy (Salon)
  While Obama signed away women's rights, I recovered from the hardest decision I've had to make.

April 13, 2010

• Nebraska: Pre-Abortion Screening Approved (New York Times/AP)
  Lawmakers on Monday gave final approval to a first-of-its-kind measure requiring women to be screened for mental and physical problems before having abortions.
  
  
• Sex education in Arizona varies widely by district (Arizona Republic)
  The taboo topic gets little attention, except when school districts revise their curriculum or send permission slips home to parents for children to participate in lessons.
  
  
• College athletes use sports to teach kids about AIDS (USA Today)
  Athletes have a unique reach to kids, especially with something as stigmatized as HIV/AIDS.
  
  
• California: Same-Sex Marriage Won’t Be on Ballot (New York Times/AP)
  Gay rights activists said they failed to qualify for the November ballot a measure that would repeal the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.
  
  
• Even after death, abuse against gays continues (Associated Press)
  A wave of intense homophobia is washing across Africa, where homosexuality is already illegal in at least 37 countries.
  
  
• Casual sex increasing in U.S. (USA Today)
  People in non-romantic sexual relationships today are likely to have multiple partners, researchers have found, and that behavior could promote the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, they note.
   

April 7, 2010

• Juneau County DA warns districts on sex ed law (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
  A district attorney is telling Juneau County schools to abandon their sex education courses, saying a new curriculum law could lead to criminal charges against teachers for contributing to the delinquency of minors.
  
  
• The IUD Reborn (Newsweek)
  After years of the IUD being off-limits to younger women, a new generation is embracing the once-beleaguered birth control.
  
  
• Sex, HIV and the politics of clean needles (CNN)
  The science tells us that making clean needles universally available to drug injectors can more or less wipe out HIV transmission in this group.
  
  
• U.S. birthrate drops 2 percent in 2008 (Washington Post)
  After rising to its highest point in two decades, the rate at which women in the United States gave birth declined in 2008 as the economy deteriorated, according to government statistics released Tuesday.
  
  
• Calif. considers repealing law to study, cure gays (AP)
  California lawmakers narrowly advanced a bill Tuesday that would repeal a state law designed to find the causes and cures of homosexuality.
  
  
• Miss. lesbian student's prom night falls short (AP)
  The 18-year-old lesbian student said Tuesday she was one of only seven students to show up at a private event chaperoned by school officials last Friday night. She said the rest of her peers went to another private event where she wasn't invited.

April 2, 2010

• The New Sex Ed Law In Schools (NBC15)
  A new law that mandates sex education in Wisconsin schools is only one month old but is already causing local controversy.
  
  
• Making "Pregnancy Centers" Tell the Truth (The Austin Chronicle)
  On the Austin City Council's agenda for its April 8 meeting is a proposed ordinance that would require so-called "crisis pregnancy centers" to post a sign to notify consumers that they do not provide or make referrals for either abortion or contraceptive services.

March 2010

March 31, 2010

• $250 million for abstinence education not evidence-based, groups say (CNN)
  The health care reform legislation that President Obama signed recently isn't only about insurance coverage -- there's also a renewal of $50 million per year for five years for abstinence-focused education.
  

• Economic crisis could worsen HIV/AIDS epidemic: U.N. (Reuters)
  Economic crisis and climate change concerns could affect the fight against the AIDS virus and lead to a "universal nightmare," the head of the United Nations' agency for HIV/AIDS said on Sunday.
  

March 29, 2010

• Pentagon makes it harder to expel gays in military (Reuters)
  The Pentagon issued new rules on Thursday making it harder for the U.S. military to discharge gay personnel, an interim step to ease enforcement of the existing "don't ask, don't tell" policy while Congress considers repealing it.
  

• Georgetown Students Furious Over Lack of Sex Education (NBC Washington)
  Student protesters force school officials to talk about sex health issues after weekend protest.

March 24, 2010

• Judge: Lesbian student's rights violated (USA Today)
  A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Itawamba County, Miss., school board violated the rights of a lesbian student by canceling the prom when the student challenged a ban on same-sex dates, but the judge stopped short of ordering the district to reinstate the April 2 prom.
  
  
• In Kenya, few choices to backstreet abortions (CNN)
  Women are being forced into backstreet abortions in Kenya because of the country's restrictive abortion law, a study says.
  
• Religious groups pledge to end AIDS stigma (AP)
  Religious groups from around the globe pledged Tuesday to prevent the stigmatization of people living with HIV and AIDS, in a joint statement welcomed by a senior U.N. official as a sea change in attitudes.

March 23, 2010

• Students push support for global sexual health bill (Western Kentucky Herald)
  This evening in Downing University Center, members of Americans for Informed Democracy met with four members of Advocates for Youth. The advocates are on a country-wide tour sharing accounts from their home countries.
  
  
• Sex-Ed Student Turns Teen Activist (The Advocate)
  When sex education classes at Danny Sparks's high school failed to address the issues important to him, he took matters into his own hands ... and became an activist in the process.
  
  
• Virtual march on State House a push for more than abstinence only (The State)
  
  The march is organized by e-advocacy network Tell Them that promotes reproductive health policy. Chitty said teens should be provided with age-appropriate, medically accurate sexual health information that goes beyond an abstinence-only approach.

March 22, 2010

• A look at the health care overhaul bill (Washington Post)
  Congressional Democrats released a final version of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul bill in advance of passage Sunday by the House.
  
  
• Health Care Passage Hinged On Abortion Language (NPR)
  Abortion was one of the most contentious issues in this debate from the very beginning, more than a year ago.
  
  
• Keeping our blood supply safe (Los Angeles Times)
  Decisions on whether to ease restrictions on blood donation must be based on science and the protection of public health, not political considerations
  
  
• On campus, 'tolerance' and faith collide (USA Today)
  Should a student religious group at a public university be allowed to bar a certain group of students from membership — gay students, to be precise — without losing its official student-group status, and the funding and other benefits that go with it?
  
  
• Bias Called Persistent Hurdle for Women in Sciences (New York Times)
  A report on the underrepresentation of women in science and math by the American Association of University Women found that although women have made gains, stereotypes and cultural biases still impede their success. 
   

March 19, 2010

• Poorer girls not getting HPV vaccine for cervical cancer (USA Today)
  A cervical cancer vaccine is not getting to many of the girls who need it the most, a new study shows.
  
  
• A look at the health care overhaul bill (Washington Post)
  Congressional Democrats have released a final version of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul bill in advance of a House vote planned for Sunday.
  
  
• Colo. abortion foes say they cleared petition bar (Washington Post)
  Colorado abortion opponents say they have enough signatures to put an abortion-ending proposal on the ballot this fall - potentially the first state this election year to see the question.
  
  
• With Ban on H.I.V. Immigrants Now History, Relief and Revision (New York Times)
  Experts say tens of thousands had interrupted lives thanks to a 22-year United States ban on allowing foreigners with H.I.V. to live in this country.
  
  
• How a Man Produces 1,500 Sperm a Second (National Geographic)
  Researchers have unlocked just how this seminal feat is possible.

March 17, 2010

• Sex Assault Reports Rise in Military (New York Times)
  The Department of Defense released an annual report on Tuesday showing an 11 percent increase in reports of sexual assault in the military over the past year
  
  
• Teenage girls return to sex after STD (UPI)
  While some teenage girls diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease are counseled on abstinence, many return to having sex, U.S. researchers found.
  
  
• Rewriting History in Texas (New York Times)
  The Texas Board of Education, notorious for its past efforts to undermine the teaching of evolution in public schools, has now moved to revise the social studies curriculum.
  
  
• Evidence skirmish could delay end of Prop 8 trial (AP)
  An attempt by civil rights groups to keep sponsors of California's same-sex marriage ban from obtaining internal campaign documents could delay a verdict in the federal trial on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, lawyers on both sides said Tuesday.
  
  
• Health bill's abortion fight is much ado about little difference (Washington Post Op-Ed)
  There is scant difference between the House bill that antiabortion advocates deem acceptable and the Senate version they claim would allow federal funds to underwrite abortions. 

March 15, 2010

• Prom offers flood in for Mississippi students (USA Today)
  An advocacy group for gay students in Mississippi said it has been fielding dozens of offers from around the nation to hold a prom for students of Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Miss.
  
  
• Doubling of maternal deaths in U.S. 'scandalous,' rights group says (CNN)
  Deaths from pregnancy and childbirth in the United States have doubled in the past 20 years, a development that a human rights group called "scandalous and disgraceful" Friday.
  
  
• More Than Onerous   (New York Times)
  After a year of national debate, a handful of House Democrats who oppose abortion may be the ones to decide whether health care reform goes forward or not.
  
  
• At U.N., Clinton rallies for more women's opportunities worldwide (Washington Post)
  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told government delegates and activists here Friday that violence against women remains a "global pandemic" and that their "subjugation" constitutes "a threat to the national security of the United States."
  
  
• Women on birth control pill may live longer (USA Today)
  Women who took the birth control pill beginning in the late 1960s lived longer than those never on the pill, a new study says.

March 10, 2010

• Laws, Lies and the Abortion Debate (New York Times)
  Americans who support women’s reproductive rights need to make their voices heard.
  
  
  
• In Virginia, legalized discrimination is alive and well (Washington Post)
  Discrimination is alive, well and now encouraged in the Commonwealth of Virginia, says a Washington Post editorial.
  
  
• The gay anti-gay legislator (Los Angeles Times)
  "Although we sympathize with Ashburn and hope he can turn his life in a more positive direction following this revelation, there's really no excusing his political hypocrisy."
  
  
• Circumcision may not cut HIV spread among gay men (Reuters)
  Although studies in Africa have shown that circumcision can lower the spread of HIV among heterosexuals, it may not do much to prevent infections among gay and bisexual men in Western countries, a new study suggests.

March 8, 2010

• Being Gay in Uganda: One Couple's Story (Time)
  No matter how many precautions homosexuals in Uganda take, it doesn't mean they'll be safe.
  
  
• How would health care overhaul help young people? (USA Today)
  

  Critics warn that the low-cost policies would leave young people financially vulnerable and reluctant to seek care. Supporters counter that the plans would help young people who otherwise might be uninsured.
  

• Philippine health chief, church fight over condoms (AP)
  Bishops issued angry statements slamming the Valentine's Day condom distribution as immoral and called for the resignation of Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral, who ordered the campaign.
  
  
• Breast ironing, a painful practice for Cameroon's girls (Washington Post)
  The practice persists and affects as many as one in four girls, according to local health activists.
  
  
• Virginia attorney general to colleges: End gay protections (Washington Post)
  Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II has urged the state's public colleges and universities to rescind policies that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

March 4, 2010

• Democrats vow quick end to 'don't ask, don't tell' as Senate bill is introduced (Washington Post)
  Leading Senate Democrats pledged Wednesday to move quickly to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the armed forces rather than wait, as the Pentagon has requested, for the military to complete a lengthy review.
  
  
• From Town Halls To Twitter: The Long, Rocky Road To Destigmatizing Abortion (Newsweek)
  Even with some new openness, talking about abortions largely remains taboo.
  
  
• Divorced Before Puberty (New York Times)
  The problem of child marriage and one young girl's story
  
  
• Myths That Make It Hard To Stop Campus Rape (NPR)
  Many of our assumptions about college men who commit rape are incorrect.
  
  
• Democrats Would Nix Healthcare Over Abortion (New York Times)
  Leading Senate Democrats pledged Wednesday to move quickly to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the armed forces rather than wait, as the Pentagon has requested, for the military to complete a lengthy review.
  
  
• Gay Marriage Is Legal in U.S. Capital (New York Times)
  Gay rights advocates hailed the day as a milestone for equal rights and a symbolic victory as same-sex marriage became legal in the nation’s capital.

March 2, 2010

• Vancouver medals in condom distribution (CNN)
  The medals have been presented, the caldron extinguished and the crowds dispersed, but there's one record from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics that may have been overlooked: Most condoms distributed at a Winter Games.
  
  
• Failure to aid drug users drives HIV spread: study (Reuters)
  More than 90 percent of the world's 16 million injecting drug users are offered no help to avoid contracting AIDS, and governments that ignore them risk a spiraling public health crisis, drugs experts said on Monday.
  
  
• In DC, blacks were crucial to gay marriage debate (Associated Press)
  Gay and lesbian couples will soon be able to marry in Washington, but the debate over same-sex marriage has sounded different here, with references to interracial marriage and Martin Luther King.

March 1, 2010

• Utah Bill Would Criminalize Illegal Abortions (New York Times)
  Critics say the legislation could open up a vast frontier around the question of intent and responsibility and give local prosecutors huge new powers to inquire about a woman’s intentions toward her unborn child.
  
  
• To Court Blacks, Foes of Abortion Make Racial Case (New York Times)
  Across the country, the anti-abortion movement is turning its attention to African-Americans and encouraging black abortion opponents across the country to become more active.
  
  
• Uganda gay bill critics deliver online petition (BBC)
  Campaigners opposing Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill have taken an online petition to parliament, signed by some 450,000 people from around the world.
  
  
• UN Calls for Action to Prevent Spread of HIV/AIDS in Haiti (Voice of America)
  A United Nations agency is calling for action to prevent the spread of the AIDS virus in earthquake-stricken Haiti
  
  
• College Justice Falls Short For Rape Victim (NPR)
  Part Two of the NPR series on sexual assault on college campuses

February 2010

February 26, 2010

• Seeking Justice For Campus Rapes (NPR)
  An NPR investigation into sexual assault on college campuses.
  
  
• Minnesota abortion provider helps meet need in South Dakota (Washington Post)
  She is one of four doctors who travel anonymously, for security reasons, to the lone clinic in a state that has seen some of the nation's fiercest battles over reproductive rights.
  
  
• Proposed Abortion Bill Focused on When Fetus Feels Pain (ABC)
  Nebraska legislators are proposing a bill on abortion that, if passed, would be the strictest in the nation and would ban most abortions after 20 weeks into a pregnancy.
  
  
• At Penn, a first: gay students help recruit gay applicants (USA Today)
  Eric J. Furda, dean of admissions at Penn, characterizes the effort there not as something special for admitted gay applicants, but as doing for them what the university already does for many other groups of students.
  
  
• Circumcision: Zimbabwe's latest anti-HIV weapon (BBC)
  In the next eight years the government aims to carry out the operation on 80% of all young men in the country - three million people in all.
  

February 23, 2010

• New figures show teen births hit a record low in California (LA Times)
  A report by the state Department of Public Health shows about 35 babies were born in 2008 for every 1,000 teen females, nearly two fewer babies than the year before.
  
  
• Lawmakers' silence kills sex ed bill (Salt Lake Tribune)
  After months of negotiations, a bill that would have changed sex education in Utah died with barely a whisper Monday morning after lawmakers chose not to talk about it.

February 22, 2010

• Gay Soldiers Don’t Cause Disruption, Study Says (New York Times)
  A comprehensive new study on foreign militaries that have made transitions to allowing openly gay service members concludes that a speedy implementation of the change is not disruptive.
  
  
• For women in America, equality is still an illusion (Washington Post)
  We have no problem condemning atrocities done to women abroad, yet too many of us in the United States ignore the oppression on our doorstep.
  
  
• For Teenagers, Messaging on the Go (New York Times)
  Sending text messages from cellphones has shot past instant messaging from computers as a way for teens to communicate.
  
  
• Early, aggressive therapy eyed in blocking AIDS (USA Today)
  Aggressive, early anti-viral therapy might provide a way to derail the spread of AIDS, a battle where a successful vaccine remains elusive.
  
  
• Gay life in China is legal, but remains hidden (USA Today)
  Openness about homosexuality is seen by some as too much of a refutation of the Communist Party line in a country where men are pressured by the government and tradition to marry and father a child, gays say.

February 17, 2010

• Respect for Women in Uniform (New York Times)
  The Pentagon’s decision to begin making so-called morning-after emergency contraception available at military bases around the world marked welcome, if overdue, progress in meeting the health needs of women serving the United States in the military.
  
  
• Who will stand against Uganda's brutal anti-gay law? (Washington Post)
  In a time of constant calamity and crisis fatigue, proposed legislation in Uganda to execute gays passes through the American consciousness with the impact of a weather report.
  
  
• Malawi launches operation against high-profile gay and lesbian people (Guardian)
  Fears of backlash across Africa as US evangelists accused of spreading religious zeal behind homophobic campaigns
  
  
• Officials find same-sex couples eye opening (Chicago Tribune)
  Black Hawk Associate Judge Nathan Callahan and others like him say taking part in same-sex wedding services has opened their eyes to the struggles gay and lesbian couples face.
  
• Curling and Condoms: Fits Like a Glove (NBC Chicago)
  Olympic team has unique sponsor

February 16, 2010

• Girls’ Health: Kits to Aid in Menstrual Health May Cut School Absenteeism in Kenya (New York Times)
  Tackling a problem that is widespread but rarely discussed, a new American-backed charity in Kenya has begun making and giving away kits containing washable sanitary pads, underwear and soap.
  
  
• Women at war: Sexual violence in the US military (BBC)
  A woman whose experience of sexual assault, while serving in the US Air Force in Afghanistan, turned her into a campaigner for the welfare of service women.

February 12, 2010

• Abstinence Education Done Right (New York Times)
  It would be a mistake to place too much importance on a single study of black middle-school students in Philadelphia, but the study appears to be sound and its findings are worth further exploration.
  
  
• More tolerance for gay troops as end of 'don't ask, don't tell' is debated (Washington Post)
  A younger and more liberal corps of commanders and soldiers has given rise to bubbles of tolerance in today's military, an institution that soldiers describe as still largely unwelcoming and wary of gays, according to interviews with more than a dozen enlisted troops and officers, both gay and straight.
  
  
• H.I.V. and Herpes: Treating Herpes Doesn’t Reduce Chance That AIDS Virus Will Spread, Study Finds  (New York Times)
  Treating herpes in people who are also infected with H.I.V. does not reduce the chances that they will pass on the AIDS virus, according to a new study.
  
  
• Brazil handing out 55M condoms for Carnival (AP)
  Brazilian health officials have kicked off an AIDS awareness campaign and will hand out 55 million condoms during the annual Carnival festival that begins next week.
  
  
• Tech-savvy 'iGeneration' kids multi-task, connect (USA Today)
  To the psychologists, sociologists, and generational and media experts who study them, their digital gear sets this new group (yet unnamed by any powers that be) apart, even from their tech-savvy Millennial elders. 

February 3, 2010

• Good advice on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' (Washington Post)
  Mr. Gates and Adm. Mullen did their duty Tuesday. They explained the steps they're taking to be ready when Congress finally repeals "don't ask, don't tell." Congress should be listening to them and to Mr. Powell.
  
  
• Woman Says Sex-Change Tax Battle Also Helps Others (New York Times)
  A woman who battled the IRS over a tax deduction for the costs of her sex-change operation says she feels like she won a victory for all transgender people.
  
  
• Study: Abstinence program most effective at delaying sex among youths (CNN)
  Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, said that in his opinion, the abstinence program does not go far enough toward helping youths who are sexually active make informed choices about contraception. He would like to see federal funding for programs aimed at abstinence and safe sex.
   

February 2, 2010

• An Advocacy Ad Stirs a National Debate (New York Times)
  Never has there been a Super Bowl spot that took sides on a contentious social issue — until now.
  
  
• A harassment-free school opens in L.A. (LA Times)
  The school, which serves grades seven through 12, is a collaboration between Opportunities for Learning, a charter school with 34 locations across Los Angeles and Orange counties, and Lifeworks, a mentoring program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth sponsored by the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center.
  
  
• 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy on gays in military to change (Washington Post)
  Top defense officials will tell the Senate on Tuesday that the military will no longer aggressively pursue disciplinary action against gay service members whose orientation is revealed against their will by third parties, sources say.
  
  
• White House Proposes 9% Increase in Global-Health Funding (Wall Street Journal)
  The Obama administration proposed a 9% increase in funding for global health needs in its fiscal 2011 budget, pledging to spend more to combat preventable diseases and reduce deaths among women and children at a time when it is tightening its belt elsewhere.
  
  
• Fighting HIV in developing countries – with tobacco (The Guardian)
  Plants can grow proteins – which is what antibodies are – and if they're genetically modified, they can grow specific proteins that scientists know will act on the HIV virus (though diseases such as rabies could also be targeted).
  
  
• Abstinence-only programs might work, study says (Washington Post)
  "There is no data in this study to support the 'abstain until marriage' programs, which research proved ineffective during the Bush administration," said James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth.

January 2010

January 28, 2010

• Amnesty Points to Discrimination in Burkina Faso Maternal Deaths (Voice of America)
  The human rights group Amnesty International says Burkinabe women are dying needlessly during pregnancy and childbirth because gender discrimination prevents them from making key decisions about family planning and when to seek medical care.   
   

January 27, 2010

• Tebow-abortion ad flap adds to Super Bowl hype (USA Today)
  CBS will have the most controversial TV ad — perhaps the only really controversial ad — to ever air during America's biggest TV show.
  
• When Partner Abuse Leads to Pregnancy (ABC News)
  In some abusive relationships, men may use strategies to force women to become pregnant, including sabotaging their birth control, researchers say.
  
• Survey shows slight increase in reported number of gays serving in the military (Washington Post)
  An estimated 66,000 gay, lesbian and bisexual people are serving in the U.S. military, roughly 2 percent of all military personnel.
  
  
• Being gay in China: Your stories (BBC)
  Three gay men in China describe the pressures they have to live with and the compromises they have to make.
  
  
• Truth about sex: 60% of young men, teen boys lie about it (USA Today)
  Despite discussion of hookups, friends "with benefits" and other sexual openness, the survey found a double standard for guys and girls: 53% of guys said having lots of hookups makes them popular, but 71% said it makes girls less popular.
  
  
• Rise in teenage pregnancy rate spurs new debate on arresting it (Washington Post)
  The pregnancy rate among teenage girls in the United States has jumped for the first time in more than a decade, raising alarm that the long campaign to reduce motherhood among adolescents is faltering.

January 21, 2010

• Same-sex couples can be effective parents, researchers find (USA Today)
  Children raised by same-sex couples appear to do as well as those raised by parents of both sexes, suggests an international research review
  
  
• Abstinence Education: A Controversial Piece of Health Reform (HealthLeaders Media)
  James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, a Washington-D.C. advocacy program, says there is no scientific evidence that abstinence only programs work. The funding shouldn't even be in the health bill, he says, adding, "It has nothing to do with people who don't have health insurance . . . But that's how Congress operates."
  
  
• Youth in lawless Haiti at risk for sex trade, slavery, murder (USA Today)
  Brace yourself for a new level of horror in Haiti: Vulnerable children and teens sold into slavery and the sex trade, or simply shot in the streets for no reason.
  
  
• Uganda anti-gay bill 'may change' (BBC)
  A Ugandan MP who proposed introducing the death penalty for some gay people has told a newspaper he is willing to change his draft legislation.
  
  
• Children Speak for Same-Sex Marriage (New York Times)
  The children of GLBTQ parents speak out for their families.
  
  
• Gay marriage ban backer to be hostile witness (New York Times)
  A proponent of California's same-sex marriage ban who warned that gay rights activists would try to legalize sex with children if Proposition 8 did not pass is expected to be called as a hostile witness Thursday.

January 14, 2010

• The Man Who Could Beat AIDS (Newsweek)
  It's a bold strategy and one that has never been tried before in the AIDS field, but Ho is willing to stake his reputation and that of his nearly 20-year-old facility, the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center (ADARC) in New York City, on his hunch.
  
  
• Columbia prof says Prop 8 adds to gay health woes (Washington Post)
  A Columbia University social scientist says California's voter-enacted ban on same-sex marriages contributed to the social stigma that makes gay men and lesbians more susceptible to depression, suicide and substance abuse.
  
  
• Pentagon Steps Up Talks on Ending ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (New York Times)
  The Pentagon is stepping up internal discussions on how gay men and lesbians might be able to serve openly in the armed services, military officials said on Thursday.

January 13, 2010

• Uganda president wary of gay bill (BBC)
  He stressed that the MP who proposed the bill, who is a member of the ruling party, did so as an individual and was not following government policy.
  
  
• District, NIH announce new initiative aimed at HIV/AIDS epidemic (Washington Post)
  The District government and the National Institutes of Health on Monday announced the launch of a $26.4 million initiative to attack the city's HIV/AIDS epidemic.
  
  
• 'Glee,' 'Modern Family' Among GLAAD Nominees (ABC)
  For the fourth year running, the ABC television network leads nominees for media awards from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

January 12, 2010

• David Letterman under fire for transgender joke (USA Today)
  The HRC sent a letter today to Letterman and CBS Corp. expressing disappointment and asking for a public apology.
  
  
• No gay marriage trial video (Chicago Tribune)
  The camera-shy justices of the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a temporary halt Monday to the planned video coverage of the San Francisco trial of California's Proposition 8

January 11, 2010

• Brazil's effective HIV prevention strategies (PRI)
  Exploring the effective and controversial strategies that have reduced the spread of HIV in Brazil in the last decade.
  
  
• Homeless gay Muslims flee marriages (BBC)
  A UK charity is dealing with an increasing number of young gay Muslims becoming homeless after fleeing forced marriages and so-called honour violence.
  
  
• More of today's youth have serious mental health issues than previous generations, study finds (Los Angeles Times)
  A new study has found that five times as many high school and college students are dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues as youth of the same age who were studied in the Great Depression era.

January 7, 2010

• Uganda's bill to imprison gays for life is an outrage that should be rejected (Washington Post)
  A Washington Post Editorial
  
  
• Same-sex marriage trial to be shown on YouTube (CNN)
  A California judge ruled Wednesday to allow cameras in a federal courtroom to document a challenge to Proposition 8, a measure banning same-sex marriage.
  
  
• Hill Republicans join fight against D.C. gay marriage (Washington Post)
  Republican congressional leaders have joined local activists in a court fight to allow voters to decide whether same-sex marriage should be legal in the District, underscoring the continued uncertainty surrounding the issue.
  
  
• Few Parents Think Teens Are Having Sex (CBS)
  CBS News Poll Examines American Parents' Perceptions of Their Own Kids' Behavior

January 6, 2010

• US Job Site Bans Bias over Gender Identity (New York Times)
  The Obama administration has inserted language into the federal jobs Web site explicitly banning employment discrimination based on gender identity.
  
  
• South Korea Confronts Open Secret of Abortion (New York Times)
  

  For decades, the South Korean government tended to look the other way, seeing a high birthrate as an impediment to economic growth. Now, the government has concluded that this policy was too successful.
  

January 5, 2010

• Using a Virus’s Knack for Mutating to Wipe It Out (New York Times)
  Some scientists hope to cure infections by forcing viruses to evolve their way to extinction.
  
  
• Hate Begets Hate (New York Times)
  The United States and others need to make clear to the Ugandan government that its proposed law is intolerable.

January 4, 2010

• Common ground seen in gulf between health care bills (USA Today)
  Lawmakers face profound differences on key issues — from taxes to abortion — but that doesn't mean there isn't room for compromise.
  
• Study: Third of juvenile sex offenders target other kids (USA Today)
  Juveniles are 36% of all sex offenders who victimize children, according to new research commissioned by the Justice Department. 
  
• U.S. Evangelicals’ Role Seen in Uganda Anti-Gay Push (New York Times)
  Uganda seems to have become a far-flung front line in the American culture wars, with American groups on both sides pouring in support and money as they get involved in the broader debate over homosexuality in Africa.
  
• Gay in Uganda, and Feeling Hunted (New York Times)
  What seems different here is the level of official, government-sponsored anti-gay hate speech.

December 2009      

December 18, 2009

• A Race to Win One More Vote for Health Bill (New York Times)
  The White House and Senate Democratic leaders seem willing to give Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, just about anything he wants to win his support of major health care legislation.
  
  
• Transgender State Workers Expected to Gain Bias Protection (New York Times)
  New York's Gov. Paterson plans to extend antidiscrimination protections to transgender state employees
  
  
• U.S. Assails Uganda Plan to Toughen Antigay Law (Wall Street Journal)
  U.S. officials are turning up the heat on Uganda over a controversial proposal to toughen laws against homosexuality, but the measure's main sponsor vows that the legislation will survive largely intact.
  
  
• Oklahoma Abortion Law 'Invasive,' Critics Say (NPR)
  In Oklahoma, a new law requires any woman seeking an abortion to first answer dozens of personal questions, including why she wants the procedure.

December 16, 2009

• Senate Inches Toward Final Vote On Health Bill (NPR)
  The Senate keeps pushing aside hurdles blocking the huge health overhaul bill.
  
  
• HIV/AIDS: The incurable epidemic (Washington Post)
  Two studies show how difficult it is to eradicate AIDS
  
  
• Charting a decade of progress in gay rights (San Francisco Chronicle)
  While gay rights advocates remember 2009 for its political setbacks and frustrations, the movement has made remarkable progress in civil rights in the past decade, according to a report released today.
  
  
• United States Pledges $2.7 Billion for Kenya HIV Battle (ABC News)
  The United States committed $2.7 billion on Wednesday to help fight HIV infection in Kenya where more than a million people are living with the disease. 

December 14, 2009

• Lost to AIDS, but Still Friended
  Memorializing the dead through social networking
  
  
• Teenage girls to get contraceptive pill in pilot scheme
  A controversial NHS pilot is providing the contraceptive pill to teenage girls without prescription in pharmacies.
  
  
• A senator's moral dilemma on health bill
  Nelson's effort to insert the House language into the Senate legislation failed Tuesday, leaving him unable to support a bill that is increasingly to his liking in most other areas.
  
  

December 11, 2009

• Free condom plan clears MPS panel
  A Milwaukee School Board committee voted 5-0 in favor of allowing for the limited distribution of male condoms in some city high schools.
  
  
• Uganda to drop death penalty, life in jail for gays (Bloomberg)
  Minister of Ethics and Integrity announced Thursday that the bill would be revised
  
  
• District funding of abortions gets panel's approval (Washington Post)
  DC can use its own tax dollars to fund abortions for low income women and needle exchange programs
  
  
• Living with their choices (Washington Post)
  Even as the teen pregnancy rate for other racial and ethnic groups has fallen substantially in the past 15 years, it remains stubbornly high among Hispanics.

December 9, 2009

• U.S. seeking to hand off oversight of AIDS program (Washington Post)
  Administration wants services to become routine for nations
  
  
• Casual Sex - and no Emotional Wreckage? (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
  Results of a study on casual sex among young adults surprise researchers.

December 8, 2009

• Transgender teen :  McDonald's Refused to Hire Me (New York Times)
  A transgender teenager says a McDonald's restaurant in Florida discriminated against her when managers refused to interview her for a job, according to a complaint filed Monday.
  
• Senate turns to Health Care Bill's Major Obstacles (Washington Post)
  Lawmakers began consideration Monday of an amendment to restrict abortion coverage, while Democrats closed in on alternatives to the public-insurance option.
  
• Hard Questions to Ask After a Cry for Help (New York Times)
  Markers for depression may help identify adults at risk for suicide, but they are not a reliable way to screen adolescents.
  
• Believe It or Not: Global Leaders Mark World AIDS Day With No Mention of Youth (RH Reality Check)
  It surprised me that not once during the 1hour and 45 minute presentation did anyone mention young people.

December 7, 2009

• Reid Says Yes to Abstinence (CQ Politics)
  Marcela Howell, a spokeswoman for the liberal Advocates for Youth, a longtime opponent of abstinence-only programs, said Reid’s addition to the bill was “an unfortunate move.”
  
• Parents' Sex Talk with Kids:  Too Little, too Late (Time)
  In the latest study on parent-child talks about sex and sexuality, researchers found that more than 40% of adolescents had had intercourse before talking to their parents about safe sex, birth control or sexually transmitted diseases. 
  
• A Changing Fight Against AIDS (Boston Globe)
  The Obama administration must now decide whether to keep treating HIV/AIDS as a unique emergency, or to align the fight against that disease with broader health measures.

December 3, 2009

• Abortion showdown looms in Senate (AP)
  Senators debating health care legislation are headed for a clash over abortion, the issue that threatened to derail the bill in the House.
  
• Love in the Time of HIV/AIDS (CNN)
  A serodiscordant couple's story
  
• Study: Half of Kids Report Digital Abuse (CBS News)
  A study conducted by the Associated Press and MTV found that 50% of 14 to 24 year-olds have experienced some type of digital abuse.
  
• UN: $24 billion could slash infant, maternal deaths (Reuters)
  Report says basic health services would save many lives

December 2, 2009 

• Sex, Abortions and Health Insurance (NY Times)
  With sex (as with food and exercise) Americans don’t seem, on average, to be very good at planning. Almost one-half of all pregnancies — and about one-third of births — are described as “unintended.”
  
  
• Is Obama Scaling Back Bush's AIDS Initiative? (Time)
  Many global health advocates worry that the success of PEPfAR — an initiative that has consistently enjoyed broad bipartisan support — may be jeopardized by harsh economic realities and shifting political priorities.
  
  
• Africa Fights AIDS With Male Circumcision (CBS News)
  Activists Promote an Ancient Tribal Ritual of Manhood to Cut HIV Infections, But Some Fear It Will Reduce Condom Use
  
  
• District approves same-sex marriage (Washington Post)
  The D.C. Council voted overwhelming Tuesday to legalize same-sex marriage in the District, a key step in a process that could enable gay couples to marry in the nation's capital by the spring.
  
  
• Cleveland City Council approves anti-discrimination protection for transgender citizens Cleveland Plain Dealer (OH)
  Cleveland's anti-discrimination laws will grow to protect transgender citizens under an ordinance passed Monday by City Council.
  
  
• Breaking With Past, South Africa Issues Broad AIDS Policy  (NY Times)
  President Jacob Zuma declared Tuesday in a national address on World AIDS Day that drug therapy for H.I.V.-positive pregnant women and babies would be broadened and start earlier.
  

November 2009  

November 30, 2009

• In support of abortion, it's personal vs. political (NY Times)
  Older people view abortion as a political issue, while younger people tend to view it as a personal issue.
  
• Eight influential senators play key roles in health care debate (USA Today)
  As the Senate begins debate this week on a 10 year, $848 billion health care bill, a few lawmakers are positioned to exert enormous influence over President Obama's top priority as the legislation moves toward its final stages.
  
• Women with AIDS in NYC: Killing them softly (Huffington Post)
  Why, after a decade of steadily decreasing deaths, has New York City's progress in reducing women's AIDS mortality stumbled so badly?
  
• Young urged to discuss safe sex (BBC)
  The British government has launched a campaign to encourage young people to talk more openly about sex and contraception.

November 24, 2009

•  Ban lifted for green card applicants with HIV (LA Times)
  A two-decade-old rule kept those with the virus out of the U.S. Now such immigrants will be able to visit the country and apply for legal status.
  
•  Council passes pregnancy center bill (Baltimore Sun)
  The Baltimore City Council on Monday approved a first-in-the-nation law that would require faith-based crisis pregnancy centers to display signs telling prospective clients that they do not provide or refer for abortion or birth control.
  
• Health bill revives abortion groups (New York Times)
  The health care debate has brought new energy to the pro-choice fight
  
• U.S. Officials See Progress and Challenges in Fight Against AIDS (Voice of America)
  The director of the U.S. National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said progress has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS but that scientific challenges remain in developing curative therapies and a safe and effective HIV vaccine.
  
• Gay marriage momentum stalls in liberal NY, NJ (Associated Press)
  The state-to-state march to legalize gay marriage across the left-leaning Northeast lost some of its momentum this month.

November 23, 2009

• Support is Stigmatised and Scarce (The Guardian)
  Poverty, HIV and maternal mortality rates are high in Tanzania
  

November 19, 2009

• Pelosi: Abortion Issue Won't Sink Health Care Bill Homophobia and AIDS funding can't coexist (LA Times)
  The U.S. sends millions of dollars in relief money to Uganda, which is considering a draconian law aimed at homosexuals
  
  
• Activists denounce Uganda's homosexuality bill (The Guardian)
  Anti-homosexuality bill 'will harm country's fight against HIV/Aids'
  
  
• 20 years after UN pact, many children still suffer (AP)
  The United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child 20 years ago Friday, yet hundreds of millions of children still suffer from violence, hunger and disease

November 16, 2009

• ‘Mad Men,’ Maddening Times (The New York Times)
  Has Congress become like an episode of ‘Mad Men’?
  
  
• GOP chairman ends abortion insurance for employees (AP)
  A chagrined GOP Chairman Michael Steele has told Republican National Committee staff to immediately stop providing RNC employees with insurance for elective abortions
  
  

November 12, 2009

• An aborted deal? (The Washington Post)
  It was initially reported as just another Washington compromise, a backroom bargain that brought health-care reform back from the brink.
  
  
• Hooking Up for Sex: Sluts or New Feminists? (ABC News)
  Debate at Harvard University Asks if Hooking Up is Degrading or Liberating
  
  

November 10, 2009

• WHO: AIDS leading cause of death, disease in women (AP)
  The World Health Organization said Monday that the AIDS virus is the leading cause of death and disease among women between the ages of 15 and 44
  
  

November 9, 2009

• WETZSTEIN: Seeking the best in sex education (Washington Times)
  Tucked inside the Senate Finance Committee's gigantic health care reform bill are two amendments about sex education
  
  
• For Abortion Foes, a Victory in Health Care Vote (New York Times)
  A restriction on abortion coverage, added late Saturday to the health care bill passed by the House, has energized abortion opponents with their biggest victory in years
  
  
• NY Locals Make a Sex-Ed Comic Book (The Faster Times)
  Liza used her credit to publish Not Your Mother’s Meatloaf, a sex-ed comic book that revolutionizes the dusty genre
  
  

November 6, 2009

• Study: Options are key in sex education curriculum (The Washington Post)
  Sex education programs that encourage teens to delay sexual activity but also teach them how to reduce their chances of getting pregnant or a sexually transmitted disease cut risky sexual behavior, increase condom use and lower the chances of getting the AIDS virus and other infections
  

November 5, 2009

• Abortion Deal in Health Bill Sets Off Haggling in Congress (New York Times)
  House Democratic leaders struggled Wednesday to strike a deal that would restrict the use of federal money to pay for abortions under sweeping health care legislation
  
  
• Gay couples: A close look at this modern family, parenting (USA Today)
  So many gay couples today have kids that it has become a cultural phenomenon
  
  

November 4, 2009

• Maine Voters Repeal Law Allowing Gay Marriage (New York Times)
  In a stinging setback for the national gay-rights movement, Maine voters narrowly decided to repeal the state’s new law allowing same-sex marriage
  
  
• Democrats Near Deal on Abortion Coverage AIDS: Panel Warns That Without New Direction, Epidemic Will Remain Out of Control at 50 (New York Times)
  Struggling to finish their big health care legislation, House Democratic leaders signaled Tuesday that they were prepared to make several changes to the bill to satisfy abortion opponents
  
  
• AIDS: Panel Warns That Without New Direction, Epidemic Will Remain Out of Control at 50
  Unless there is a drastic change in approach, the AIDS epidemic will still be out of control on its 50th anniversary in 2031
  
  
• China's Economy Powering Syphilis Spread
  China is experiencing an epidemic of syphilis
  
  
• Consumer Reports Puts 20 Condoms to the Test
  In the heat of the moment when most couples use a condom, they might not be thinking about how their choice of contraceptive might work when inflated with 25 liters of air
  
  
• Illinois teen abortion law delayed for at least a day
  The fate of a law that would require physicians in Illinois to notify a parent or guardian when a girl 17 or younger seeks an abortion remained in limbo

November 2, 2009

• Think only 'their' teens get pregnant? (Baltimore Sun)
  Only 28 percent of those who report having given birth or fathered a child as a teen lived in families with incomes below the federal poverty line.

October 2009  

October 30, 2009

• Obama Lifts a Ban on Entry Into U.S. by H.I.V.-Positive People (New York Times)
  The end of a 22-year ban on travel to the United States by people who had tested positive for HIV
  
• The First Lady Michelle Obama, and the lessons 'Double Dutch' can teach our youth (NewsroomNewJersey.com)
  Leaders in urban communities can teach young people that the term "Double Dutch" has a second meaning

October 29, 2009 

• Setback for Group Fighting Gay Marriage in Maine (New York Times)
  The Maine attorney general is prodding a national group that fights same-sex marriage to reveal its donors by Election Day

October 28, 2009

• The future of abstinence (Newsweek)
  As the Obama administration cuts off federal funding, the movement scrambles for money, determined to continue its mission.  
  
• The sin of yielding to impure desire (Newsweek)
  A brief history of sex-ed in America
  
• Russia Is Urged to Switch Its Approach to Curbing Spread of H.I.V. (New York Times)
  AIDS experts urged Russian officials on Wednesday to scrap their abstinence-based strategy for curbing the spread of H.I.V.

October 25, 2009

•  Bill to Increase Access to Contraception Is Dividing Filipinos (New York Times)
  Legislation before the Philippine Congress, would require governments down to the local level to provide free or low-cost reproductive health services

October 24, 2009

• Strict Oklahoma abortion laws spark court battles (Associated Press)
  Abortion rights supporters have challenged two new Oklahoma laws that would give the state some of the strictest abortion laws in the country.
  

October 23, 3009

• Senate passes measure that would protect gays (Washington Post)
  Obama is expected to sign legislation on hate crimes
  
• Gay, transgender persons could be in future census (Associated Press)
  The U.S. Census Bureau is making an unprecedented effort to include same-sex couples in next year's national population count
  

October 22, 2009

• DC students say sex education is antiquated (Washington Post)
  Survey finds teens don't like talking to nurses, reject condom brand
  
• 15 smart and funny safe sex adverts that don't (really) mention sex (Telegraph)
  Most modern safe sex campaigns use provocative or sexualised images to get attention. But there are other ways to get the message across.
  
• Obama Administration's gay outreach continues (Washington Post)
  The gay rights community scored two more small victories on Tuesday.

October 21, 2009

• Politically Incorrect Sex Ed (Campus Progress)
  A psychiatrist at Heritage purports to increase “facts” in sex ed, but rejects groups that actually use them.
  
• Uganda food crisis undermining efforts to fight HIV/AIDS (The Guardian)
  People living with HIV/Aids in Uganda are beginning to reduce their dosages of antiretrovirals because of lack of food

October 20, 2009

• AIDS vaccine is of modest help, fuller research says. (Wall Street Journal)
  A deeper analysis of the results of an HIV vaccine tested in Thailand suggests that the vaccine may not have been as effective as originally indicated.
  
• Same-sex marriage fight roils Maine. (Boston Globe)
  Just six months after Governor John Baldacci signed a law legalizing gay marriage in Maine, voters will decide whether to preserve it.
  
• Condom 'rivals pill's popularity' (BBC)
  A survey of women in the United Kingdom found that among birth control methods, condoms are now as popular as the pill
  

October 19, 2009

• Girl in tuxedo denied place in school yearbook (USA Today)
  The student was told that only boys could wear tuxedos and have since refused to include the photo in the school yearbook.
  
• 'It doesn't seem right' (Washington Post)
  Part two of the Post's feature on DC's HIV/AIDS funding

October 18, 2009

• Staggering need, striking neglect (Washington Post)
  Part one of the Post's feature on DC's HIV/AIDS funding

October 14, 2009

• How to lobby against sex-ed (Atlantic Online)
  A retired Massachusetts businessman is using his fortune to jam abstinence-only programs into federal health care legislation.A retired Massachusetts businessman is using his fortune to jam abstinence-only programs into federal health care legislation.

September 2009

September 30, 2009

• Panel votes to restore abstinence education money (Associated Press)
  A Senate committee voted Tuesday night to restore $50 million a year in federal funding for abstinence-only education that President Obama has pushed to eliminate.

September 29, 2009

• Sex Education A Hot Topic (ONN 10TV, Ohio)
  Ohio is one of the worst states when it comes to funding, accessibility to information and availability of contraceptives.

September 28, 2009

• Empower teens by giving them facts about sex (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
  Young people are thirsty for knowledge and recognize how important this information is to their lives.
• UNT to offer unisex bathrooms on campus (The Dallas Morning News)
  The private, single-stall unisex restrooms will help transgender or transitioning students feel more welcome on campus.
• Thai youths rank poorly on contraceptive use (AsiaOne News)
  40 per cent of young people do not discuss contraception before their first sexual encounter.

September 27, 2009

• Groups call for more sex ed, insurance for birth control (Springfield News-Sun)
  2 Ohio state senators to introduce bill in October requiring comprehensive classes.
• Free condoms to be placed in dorms within the week (The Phoenix)
  Aiming to make sex safer on Swarthmore's campus, the Sexual Health Counselors are beginning to work with RAs to stock recently-funded condoms in every dorm.
• Some Texas districts change tune on abstinence-only sex ed (The Austin American-Statesman)
  Rising teen pregnancy, STD rates, declining U.S. funds bring 'abstinence-plus' to more schools.

September 24, 2009

• 'Deejays and gay groups need to call a truce' (The Jamaica Gleaner)
  After nearly 20 years of protests by gay groups against dancehall acts in the United States and Europe, the time may be right for the genre's elite to negotiate a truce.

September 23, 2009

• Addressing the issue of teens having babies (The Daily Journal, NJ)
  Teen pregnancy is still a huge problem today, one that requires continuing the efforts and programs aimed at addressing the issue.
• Comprehensive sex education a must for teens (Arizona Daily Wildcat)
  Ignorance regarding safe sex is a crucial matter with an easy remedy: educate the youth and give America hope for an informed tomorrow.

September 22, 2009

• In New York City, Queer Homeless Youth Survive at the Bottom of the Barrel (AlterNet)
  Across the country, thousands of kids are kicked out of their homes each year for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
• How AIDS Became a Caribbean Crisis (The Atlantic)
  Widespread homophobia has intensified the epidemic in Jamaica, where the HIV infection rate is an astounding 32 percent among gay men.
• Parents and teens should learn about HPV (The Desert Sun, CA)
  If you could give your teenage daughter a vaccination that would prevent her from contracting a sexually transmitted disease that could lead to cancer, would you do it?
  
• Nepalese Women Need Reproductive Rights, Health (Oh My News, International)
  The median age at first birth is 19.9 years and almost one fourth of women have their first child before reaching age 18.

September 21, 2009

• Abortion-rights forces vexed by health care debate (Associated Press)
  The abortion-rights movement says the procedure should indeed be considered a valid health care option, as worthy of public funding as any other form of care.
• Foster kids-turned-moms becoming alarming trend) (My San Antonio)
  A study of 700 youths in three states found that nearly half of girls who had spent time in foster care had been pregnant at least once by the time they were 19.

September 18, 2009

• Study finds increase in AI/AN teen birth rate (Indian Country Today)
  A new study found the birth rate among American Indian and Alaska Native teen girls increased more than twice the national amount between 2005 and 2007.
• School Slammed Over 'Sex Change' Assembly (Original Bristol, UK)
  A transgender student has suffered relentless bullying, while the parents of other pupils are furious they were not warned or given help to answer their questions.

September 17, 2009

• Can condoms combat climate change? (Los Angeles Times)
  The journal Lancet says that in addition to boosting the health, standard of living and human rights of women, encouraging the use of contraception also will help save the planet.
• Texas' failed sex education (The Daily Texan)
  The issue in resolving the sex education crisis in Texas stems largely from how to approach it.
• Anti-gay remarks common at SF schools (The Bay Area Reporter)
  Almost half of high school students – 48 percent – district wide reported hearing other students use homophobic words.

September 16, 2009

• Teen birth rates highest in most religious states (MSNBC)
  Link may be due to communities frowning on contraception, researchers say.
• Plan B^® One-Step Emergency Contraception Now Available At U.S. Pharmacies (Reuters)
  Plan B^® One-Step can help prevent an unintended pregnancy after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure with just one pill in one dose.
• Advisory panel seeks FDA approval for male Gardasil (The Daily Free Press)
  Clinical trials showed Gardasil to effectively prevent genital warts caused by HPV in men.

September 14, 2009

• Abortion Debate Could Make or Break Healthcare Reform (US News and World Report)
  Catholics hold a lot of power in the healthcare debate.

September 10, 2009

• Would proposed amendment make birth control illegal in Florida? (Tampa Bay Online)
  Anti-abortion conservatives are proposing a new constitutional amendment that would make it a crime to take birth control pills in Florida.

September 7, 2009

• Tool to Offer Fast Help for HIV Exposure (New York Times)
  ER doctors in New York will be just a computer click away from concise guidelines for starting prompt drug treatment that can reduce the risk of becoming infected.

September 6, 2009

• Texas has restrictive birth control policy for minors (Dallas Morning News)
  Texas has one of the most restrictive policies in the nation for minors to obtain prescription birth control.

September 5, 2009

• Teen lobbies for broader sex ed in schools (Salt Lake Tribune)
  High school senior riles some who say she shouldn't be part of the discussion.
• Contraception myths 'widespread' (BBC News)
  One in five women said they had heard of kitchen items, including bread, cling film and even chicken skin, being used as alternative barrier methods.

September 3, 2009

• U.S. Conservatives Attack UNESCO's Sex-Ed Guidelines (Time Magazine)
  The biggest issue for critics is the recommendation that educators begin teaching students introductory reproductive and sexual subjects earlier than usual.
• Doctors rethink views on male circumcision (Freep.com)
  Research suggests the procedure might prevent the transmission of HIV infection.
• Healthy Youth Act has educators preparing for new sex ed (News 14, NC)
  Parents can opt to take their children out of class when the more detailed information is taught. But educators don't think many parents will choose the abstinence-only curriculum.
• HIV-AIDS rate is increasing across Florida (Miami Herald)
  HIV/AIDS is at a `critical' level for men in Florida, a new study has found.

September 2, 2009

• U.N. Guide for Sex Ed Generates Opposition (New York Times)
  The guidelines are intended to help member countries improve sex education and sexual health, reduce H.I.V. and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Breaking down the statistics (Suffolk News Herald, VA)
  Teen pregnancy especially prevalent among African-Americans.
• Parents overestimate role in teens' sex education (Austin America-Statesman, TX)
  Austin parents think they are the primary source of info, but teens disagree.

September 1, 2009

• Obama Unshackles Global AIDS Work (The Nation)
  The Obama administration has signaled to agencies abroad that the walls are coming down."
• Same-Sex Marriages Begin in Vermont (CBS News)
  In April, Vermont became the first state to legalize gay marriage through a legislative decree and not a court case.
• Dallas leads nation in repeat teen births, study finds (Dallas News)
  The findings could spark more local and statewide debate of abstinence-only sex education.
• Sexual health a big issue at clinics on college campuses (Cleveland.com)
  Baskets of condoms in the examination rooms always need to be refilled.
• Sex ed classes resume (The Republican, MA)
  The instruction will include contraceptives and the proper use of condoms.

August 2009

August 31, 2009

• Transgender Vt. teen wants genderless bathrooms in school (USA Today)
  Gender-neutral bathrooms can be as simple as what are now considered handicapped accessible bathrooms that are in a single room.
• KENYA: Family planning and HIV services work well together (Reuters)
  only half the HIV-positive people needing family planning services had access to them.

August 29, 2009

• Communication is key in sex education (Miami Herald)
  Answer your child's questions honestly in an age-appropriate manner.

August 28, 2009

• Five year-olds should be taught about sex so they can ‘ask questions or report abuse’, says Unesco (Telegraph, UK) 28
  The new guidelines come after the Government ruled that sex education classes will be made compulsory in English schools.

August 27, 2009

• The Abortion Question (New York Times)
  Whether health care legislation pending in Congress will cover abortion services is proving predictably divisive.
• Utah governor: No protected class for gay people (Associated Press)
  The Governor told reporters he doesn't believe sexual orientation should be a protected class in the way that race, gender and religion are.
• WVU offers Condom Caravan, with 10-cent Thursdays (Charleston Gazette, WV)
  It provides students a convenient and affordable way to buy condoms, with 30 varieties on sale.
• Brazil faces fresh HIV/AIDS fight (CNN International)
  Brazil's efforts to reverse the tide of the AIDS epidemic have become the object of admiration in the global health community, but the trailblazer is encountering new challenges.

August 26, 2009

• Schools target teen pregnancy (The Republican, MA)
  An advisory board is recommending an expanded health education curriculum in the public schools as part of an effort to reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
• Debate continues over Utah sex ed changes (The Salt Lake Tribune)
  Educators, students and parents continue to debate whether youth should learn more about contraception in school, at a meeting exploring a proposed change to Utah's sex education law.
• Teddy: The Youngest Kennedy Brother (Time Magazine)
  He did not shy away from taking the lead on controversial issues in the Senate, including women's reproductive rights.
• Circumcision: A cut against HIV (The Boston Globe)
  The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering promoting circumcision of infant boys in this country.
• Morning-after pill 'should be available to girls in school' (The Herald, Scotland)
  Secondary school nurses should be free to administer emergency contraception to help cut Scotland's teenage pregnancy rate.
• The HPV Vaccination Debate (Oprah.com)
  The most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States is the human papilloma virus.

August 25, 2009

• Plan B’s Complicated History (Newsweek)
  The emergency contraception drug goes generic but still remains out of reach for many women.
• Penile Cancer Linked to Sexually Transmitted Virus, Study Says (Bloomberg.com)
  About half of all cases of penile cancer are linked to a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer in women.
• U.N. Agency Calls for Teaching Children 5-to-8 Years of Age about Masturbation (CNS News)
  A new report says children of all countries and cultures are entitled to sexual and reproductive education beginning at age five.
• AIDS in the U.S.A. (The Washington Post)
  How to give President Obama your advice on combating the epidemic here at home.
• Denver West principal ends his abstinence push (The Denver Post)
  Although he doesn't agree with teaching teens about contraception, the principal will continue the partnership the school has had with Planned Parenthood.

August 24, 2009

• How Abortion Could Imperil Health-Care Reform (Time Magazine)
  The health-care reform proposed by House Democrats would mark a significant change in the Federal Government's role in the financing of abortions.
• Murray meeting to discuss plan to change sex education in Utah (Deseret News)
  A new sex-education bill would allow parents to choose between two health classes.

August 23, 2009

• Health reform must include reproductive care (Mail Tribune, OR)
  For many women, reproductive health care represents their primary health-care need.
• Officials Weigh Circumcision to Fight HIV Risk (New York Times)
  Public health officials are considering promoting routine circumcision for all baby boys born in the United States to reduce the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
• Young moms hope to break cycle of teen pregnancy (PennLive)
  They are learning parenting and life skills, money management and sexual education.

August 21, 2009

• Rwanda: When Humor Fosters Sex Education (AllAfrica.com)
  A radio soap opera aims to spread messages that encourage positive behavioural change in the area of sexual and reproductive health.
• Miss Universe Contestants Enter Condom Olympics to Tackle HIV (PR NewsWire)
  the winning contestant will have the opportunity to become an Ambassador of PSI's HIV prevention and education program YouthAIDS.

August 20, 2009

• Anti-gay beating raises concerns about violence (Michigan Messenger)
  Some fear more attacks if debate over Kalamazoo's anti-discrimination ordinance becomes more heated.
• Africa: Continent's Population Reaches One Billion (AllAfrica.com)
  Africa is the continent with the world's highest birth rate and the highest projected population growth rate to 2050.

August 19, 2009

• Abortion Law Backers Vow Oklahoma Appeal (New York Times)
  The state said it would appeal the ruling, and Republican lawmakers vowed to pass the law again in a different form.
• Confronting Health Disparities Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender Youth (Science Daily)
  The social stigma that surrounds LGBT teens leads to a variety of health risks such as substance use, risky sexual behaviors and victimization.
• New York man gets 25 years for transgender killing (Los Angeles Times)
  The 20-year-old is only the second person in the nation to be convicted of a hate crime for killing a transgender victim.
• Sex Education Needs to be Taught Early (Star Gazette, NY)
  Utilizing comprehensive sex education is an important way to decrease the social toll of teen pregnancy.
• Law Requiring Ultrasounds for Abortions Is Struck Down (Washington Post)
  Oklahoma Judge Says Measure Violates State Constitution.
• Why Does Obama Keep Flip-Flopping on Gay Marriage? (Time Magazine)
  Obama's triangulation between left and right has become excruciatingly obvious on this issue.
• HPV vaccine gardasil safe, but questioned (Emax Health)
  As with any other type of medical treatment, there can be side effects.
• Poor Chicago kids have sex at young age (Chicago Sun Times)
  A study of 1,000 low-income families in Chicago and two other big cities found that one in four kids between the ages of 11 and 16 said they'd already had sex.

August 18, 2009

• Clinton Puts Spotlight On Women's Issues (Washington Post)
  Elevating Rights Is a Focus of Secretary.

August 17, 2009

• Cheaper Birth Control Returns (Chicago Tribune)
  Everything that was tied up in the previous presidential administration is quickly coming undone.
• Obama Makes Explicit His Objection to DOMA (Washington Post)
  President Obama made clear Monday that he favors the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.
• Rep. Rosa DeLauro: Obama Can Find Common Ground on Abortion (U.S. News & World Report)
  For too long, there has been too much heat and not enough light shed on the question of reducing abortion in this country.

August 16, 2009

• Should Mandatory HIV Testing Be the Norm? (CBS News)
  CDC Believes that One in Five Infected with HIV Are Unaware and Routine Testing Could Save Lives
• India in denial over sex education (The Guardian, UK)
  As India's children face abuse and early marriage, the decision to reject sex education is baffling, even brutal

August 15, 2009

• 50 Million Women in Asia at Risk of HIV from their Intimate Partners (The Examiner)
  The strong patriarchal culture in Asian countries severely limits a woman’s ability to negotiate sex in intimate partner relationships.

August 13, 2009

• Teen birth rates higher in US than rest developed world (Sindh Today)
  The birth rate among US teenagers is twice the average for all developed nations and has increased in recent years.

August 12, 2009

• Some Evangelicals Link Messages Of Younger Marriage, Abstinence (Medical News Today))
  Some evangelical Christian groups are promoting marrying at a younger age as a way to reconcile tensions between the religion's abstinence teachings and societal trends toward later marriage.
• More women wait to start families (USA Today)
  On average, new U.S. moms were the youngest of 14 countries reviewed.
• Protesters seek cheaper drugs at HIV/AIDS meeting (Reuters)
  Protesters said a drug marketed by Roche and intended to flush out the virus, costs $1,500 a month.
• Ryan-DeLauro Bill Marks Shift In Abortion-Rights Debate, National Journal Reports (Medical News Today)
  Ryan, DeLauro and their allies are "hopeful that they can forge a consensus" on their bill.
• Youth groups make stand at ICAAP (Jakarta Post)
  A number of youth groups at the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific made a stand today for the rights of young people living with HIV/AIDS.

August 11, 2009

• Rwanda: Youth and Their Key Role in the Fight Against HIV/Aids (AllAfrica.com)
  Through forming strategic youth teams in various communities, youth have are seeking the support from the government, NGO's and academic institutions.
• Program offers help for teenage mothers in high school (Brownsville Herald, TX)
  Juggling school and being a teenager is already difficult without having to add raising a child to the equation.
• 50 million women in Asia at risk of HIV infection: UNAIDS (Washington Post)
  Women in Asia are at risk of being infected with HIV because of the risky sexual behavior of their husbands or boyfriends

• Clinton, Angola sign agreement to combat HIV/AIDS (Associated Press)
  The Obama administration will more than double funding for Angola to combat the disease, from $7 million to $17 million.
• "Molecular Condom" Gel That Blocks HIV Developed By Scientists (Medical News Today)
  The gel becomes semi-solid in the presence of semen and traps the AIDS-causing virus in its microscopic mesh.
• Teens pressured into sex (Science Alert)
  A new report has found that some teenagers are feeling pressured into having sex.

• More girls under age 14 having sex (The Straits Times, Asia)
  Many of the girls had sex with casual friends and boyfriends, most of whom were about the same age.

• D.C. to Offer STD Tests In Every High School (Washington Post)
  D.C. school officials are planning to offer tests for sexually transmitted diseases to all high school students in the coming school year.
• Boston To Unveil New Teen Sex Awareness Program After Spike In STI Cases (Medical News Today)
  The campaign was created in response to rising rates of sexually transmitted infections among young people in the city.
• Course Could Improve Dating Health in High School Students (Modern Medicine)
  Curriculum linked to less physical dating violence, greater condom use among boys.
• New Strain of H.I.V. Is Discovered (New York Times)
  European scientists have discovered a new strain of the virus that causes AIDS and linked it to gorillas

• New condom provides pleasure for the latex-sensitive (The Examiner)
  Durex avanti BARE™ condoms are made of polyisoprene, a very soft and elastic material appropriate for latex-sensitive users.
• Unwanted teen sex on the rise: report (ABC News, Australia)
  More teenagers are having more sex with more partners, but the amount of unwanted encounters is also on the rise.

• Free condoms dispensed to young (BBC News)
  Teenagers as young as 13 are able to get free condoms from vending machines which are being placed in colleges and health centres across Hull.
• Dr. Joycelyn Elders: Americans Need to Be More Healthy (New America Media)
  We are sexual beings, from birth to death. Young people need to understand these feelings.

• FACT CHECK: Distortions rife in health care debate (Associated Press)
  Confusing claims and outright distortions have animated the national debate over changes in the health care system.

• American Right, Left Find Common Ground Abroad (CQ Politics)
  With Democrats in charge of Congress and the White House, the battery of social issues identified with the culture wars liberal positions.

July 2009

July 31, 2009

• Hold the Cialis; let's see ads for condoms (New Jersey Newsroom)
  Surely, advertisements showing the benefits of condom use could help change the very poor teen pregnancy and STD outcomes for our population.

July 30, 2009

• End of Funding for Failed Abstinence-Only Programs (Examiner)
  The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to end funding for failed abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.
• Gay activists: Marriage secondary to basic rights (Associated Press)
  Activists in many states say their fight is much more fundamental: basic rights and protections against discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation.
• Birth Control May Help Ward Off Bacterial Vaginosis (U.S. News and World Report)
  Contraceptive pills, hormonal injections both seem effective, study says
• Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Approves Fiscal Bill Without Abstinence-Only Funding (Medical News Today)
  The bill will provide money for comprehensive sex education.
• US teenagers need real sex education (UTV)
  Honest education and confidential services are the best way to undo the damage done by abstinence-only programmes.
• Advocates fear spike in HIV due to CA budget cuts (The Bay Area Reporter)
  Fears are growing that California will see spikes in new HIV cases after the Governor further slashed the state Office of AIDS budget.
• Abortions Surge in China; Officials Cite Poor Sex Education (a target="_blank" xhref="http://www.nytimes.com/" mce_href="http://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times)
  More than 13 million abortions are performed each year in China.

July 29, 2009

• Senate Sub-Committee: Ab-Only Out, Syringe Ban Still In (RH Reality Check)
  A sub-committee of the Senate Appropriations Committee last night approved an Appropriations bill that zeroes out funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage funding.
• Specter Abstains From Abstinence Program Earmarks (CQ Politics)
  Specter did not request money for his state’s programs in the fiscal 2010 Labor-HHS-Education bill.

July 28, 2009

• Prevention Efforts May Not Reduce Health Care Costs (National Public Radio)
  If you can prevent people from getting sick or detect disease early, you can save money for the health care system, right?
• Recession Probably Will Leave Kids Worse Off (The Washington Post)
  The report noted that teenage pregnancies, although lower than in 2000, are on the rise for the first time in more than a decade.
• N.Y. High School To Provide Pregnancy, STD Testing (WCBS TV, NY)
  Parents Torn On Controversial Decision; Service Would Offer Teens Absolute Confidentiality As Well As Counseling.
• Teen Pregnancy May Be Symptom, Not Cause, Of Emotional Distress (Science Daily)
  A new study shows that the distress comes before the pregnancy, not because of it.
• Nicaragua abortion ban 'cruel and inhuman disgrace' (CNN)
  Nicaragua hands out prison sentences for girls and women who seek an abortion and for doctors and nurses who provide services linked with abortion.
• Lesbians in China petition to donate blood (Associated Press)
  The petition asks the government to remove a law enacted in 1998 banning the gay community from donating blood.
• Ryan Tries to Bridge Abortion Divide; Pro-life Group Boots Him from Board (Journal Daily, OH)
  Democrats for Life for America booted the congressman from its national advisory board because of what it says is his continued support for pro-choice legislation.

July 27, 2009

• Young People at High HIV Risk Say Peers Should Teach Prevention (Health Behavior News Service)
  African-American adolescents have some of the highest rates of HIV infection in the US, and efforts to educate them about prevention must include the help of their adolescent peers.

July 26, 2009

• Suspect in Kan. abortion killing faces hearing (Associated Press)
  Scott Roeder has called the shooting of Dr. George Tiller justified.
  
• Teens are getting sex education help on-line (Examiner)
  The questions lie in whether or not online is a healthy information resource for sex education.
• Politics and the morning after pill (The Global Post)
  In Chile, contraception has become one of the hottest issues in the looming presidential battle.

July 25, 2009

• Conference to address black women and HIV/AIDS (San Francisco Chronicle)
  According to the CDC, HIV infection is the leading cause of death for black women ages 25 to 34.

July 24, 2009

• House Votes to Slash Funding for Sexual Abstinence Programs (Bloomberg)
  The House approved an annual health and education spending bill that would eliminate a $99 million initiative providing grants to teach abstinence-only-programs.
• White House Sees Healthcare Bill By Year's End (New York Times)
  Obama has staked significant political capital on the passage of a healthcare bill this year before lawmakers turn their focus to next year's midterm elections.
• Senate adopts amendments to hate crimes measure (Washington Blade)
  Moves add service member protections and the death penalty.

July 23, 2009

• Keep the faith: Should Muslim children receive sex education?UK (The Independent, UK)
  A group run by a member of a radical Islamic organisation is opposing plans to give five-year-olds sex education.

July 22, 2009

• Abstinence is not the answerUK (Indiana Daily Student)
  Even if Obama might be having a hard time putting through new legislation, there should be little opposition to overhauling sex education.
• Sex Education Amendment Passes in House CommitteeUK (Ms. Magazine)
  The US House Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation to support comprehensive sex education.
• Health care debate shifts to how much reform is neededUK (CNN)
  The bills considered so far by House and Senate committees include Democratic proposals for a government-funded public health insurance option
• Teen Pregnancy: Reaching Epidemic Levels in Foster Care (Time Magazine)
  Half of girls who have spent time in the foster-care system have been pregnant at least once by the time they were 19 years old.

July 21, 2009

• Late-Night Committee Votes Yield Success for Sex Ed Programs within Health Care Reform (RH Reality Check)
  Two important amendments to the bill were introduced in Committee.
• Bringing the dreaded ‘P-word' into sex education (New Jersey Newsroom)
  In America, the word "pleasure" draws lightening whenever you join the topics teens and sex.
• Motherhood madness as teen pregnancy is marketed to our teens (Examiner)
  Glamorous, trendy and easy are often the last adjectives single mothers would use to describe their harsh realities.

July 20, 2009

• Boy accused of killing gay classmate bragged he had guns at home, police say (Los Angeles Times)
  The pretrial begins the murder of Larry King.
  
• Sex studies - being overweight can make contraceptives less effective (The Examiner)
  A new study indicates that oral contraceptives in women who are overweight take twice as long to become effective.
  
• George Bush's sex education failure (The Guardian, UK)
  Teenage pregnancies and STDs in the US are on the rise again, thanks to George Bush's abstinence-only obsession.
  
• Withdrawal Method Finds Ally (New York Times)
  Which birth-control method is more effective: condoms or withdrawal?
  
• Parents 'will have no say' over sex education in schools (Daily Mail, UK)
  Parents will be given barely any say in the content of sex education classes under Government plans to make the subject compulsory for children as young as five.
• Alarming Africa male gay HIV rate (BBC News)
  HIV rates among gay men in some African countries are 10 times higher than among the general male population.

July 19, 2009

• Health Bill Might Direct Tax Money to Abortion (New York Times)
  Abortion has been simmering behind the scenes as an issue in legislation to guarantee access to health insurance for all Americans.
• Pregnancy, STDs on the Rise Again Among U.S. Teens (ABC News)
  Birth rates among U.S. teens increased in 2006 and 2007, following large declines from 1991 to 2005, according to a new U.S. government study.

July 17, 2009

• Sex education takes a new turn (Chicago Tribune)
  The school district and Chicago Department of Public Health will offer to educate students on sexually transmitted diseases.

July 16, 2009

• U.S. teens get sex education, but not from parents (Reuters)
  New government data showed that teens are getting sex education, but not from their parents.
• Sex education opt-out 'should be axed' (Telegraph, UK)
  Pressure is mounting on the Government to remove their legal right to pull sons and daughters out of lessons.
• Mass. lawmakers debate transgender rights bill (Edge Boston)
  A bill is up for debate that would add gender identity and expression to the Massechusetts anti-discrimination and anti-hate crimes laws.
• Common ground is preventing unwanted pregnancy (Times and Transcript, Canada)
  Countries more concerned with unwanted pregnancies than abortion have low rates of both.

July 15, 2009

• Sotomayor hearings: Coburn tries to corner judge on abortion (Los Angeles Times)
  Sotomayor refused to get into the debate. The law, she said, “has talked about the constitutional rights of women in certain circumstances.”
• Statistics show teen pregnancy on the rise (News 8 Austin, TX)
  While experts are not completely sure what caused the reversal, it put abstinence-only sex-education programs under scrutiny.
• Episcopal Bishops Give Ground on Gay Marriage (New York Times)
  The Episcopal Church agreed to a compromise measure that gives latitude to bishops who wish to go ahead and bless same-sex unions.

July 14, 2009

• Fort Worth mayor apologizes for raid on gay bar (Chron, TX)
  Mayor Mike Moncrief apologized for a raid on a gay bar that sparked claims of brutality and procedure violations.
• iPhone launches 'purity ring' application (The Guardian, UK)
  Consumers can download an application that allows them to take a purity pledge and then display a silver ring on their phone to prove their commitment to abstinence.
• Obama's surgeon general pick: a Catholic who backs abortion rights (Miami Herald)
  Supporters and opponents of abortion rights initially withheld comment on Benjamin's nomination, saying they wanted to learn more about her stances on reproductive rights.
• Maybe the best sex ed comes via honest answers (Los Angeles Times)
  British health officials are getting a bit of flak for a new sex education pamphlet directed at kids. A hint as to why: It's titled "Pleasure."
• Women 'naturally weaker' to HIV (BBC News)
  Experts believe women are naturally programmed to be the weaker sex when it comes to fighting off HIV.
• U.K. Government Encourages Teen Masturbation? (ABC News)
  Pamphlet That Advises an 'Orgasm a Day' to Prevent Pregnancy Stirs Debate
• House Labor-HHS Spending Bill To Fund 'Teen Pregnancy Prevention Imitative' (Medical News Today)
  The bill shifts funding away from abstinence-only sex education toward more comprehensive pregnancy prevention programs.

July 13, 2009

• Dr. Regina Benjamin: risky teen sex crisis a challenge for new surgeon general (Examiner)
  Risky teen sex practices and comprehensive sex education is just a small part of the challenges that the new surgeon general is facing.
• To reduce the risk of genital herpes, use a condom -- every time (Los Angeles Times)
  We've assumed that condoms can reduce the spread of genital herpes -- but without complete, or at least well-quantified, confidence in the assumption.
• Kinsey Institute studies condom use (Examiner)
  Researchers are conducting a study to determine some of the possible barriers to correct condom use.
• New Teva emergency contraceptive to expand market (Reuters)
  The new version of Plan B requires only one pill instead of two.
• NY to use hate crime law in transgender case (The Associated Press)
  People convicted of a hate crime in New York receive additional prison time.
• Teenage pregnancy: a national talking point (Telegraph, UK)
  While there are many theories as to how to tackle the apparent epidemic, interventions to date have proved bafflingly ineffective.

July 12, 2009

• Petition urges CVS to unlock condoms in stores nationwide (The Kansas Star)
  The petition says that CVS stores tended to lock up condoms, especially in low-income neighborhoods with high numbers of minorities.
• Nigeria: Mainstreaming Gender Into HIV/Aids Initiatives (AllAfrica.com)
  What would be different if women had greater control of their reproductive and sexual matters?
• Spain liberalizing, but teen abortion hits a nerve (The Associated Press)
  Liberalizing teen abortion is part of a broader change proposed for Spain's abortion law.

July 10, 2009

• Orthodox Church Opposed to Sex Education (The Moscow Times)
  Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill invited United Russia deputies to his office to voice his angst over EU-backed plans to introduce sex education in Russian schools.

July 9, 2009

• Police Arrest 26 AIDS Activists at Capitol Protest (New York Times)
  The activists carried signs in support of funding for needle exchange, HIV/AIDS housing and programs aimed at fighting AIDS.
• Pharmacists can't refuse to sell 'morning after' pill, says judge (The Examiner)
  A Washington state regulation requiring that pharmacists fill prescriptions regardless of their personal objections has been reinstated after it was put on hold.
• Challenge to India gay sex ruling (BBC News)
  A landmark ruling by an Indian court which said that gay sex should not be treated as a crime has been challenged.

July 8, 2009

• Having that awkward talk with your kids (North Platte Bulletin, NE)
  Gone are the days when mothers could afford to hand their adolescent daughters a copy of ‘Becoming a Woman’ and drop the subject thereafter.
• No easy solution (Metro Spirit, GA)
  The Morning After Pill remains the focus of intense debate, particularly over whether pharmacists who oppose its use because of personal beliefs should be required to sell it.
• La. governor signs refusal of health care bill (Forbes)
  The new law will shield health providers from penalties or job loss because they refuse to provide certain services, such as abortion or dispensing emergency contraception.
• Teen pregnancy: a stubborn problem (The Guardian, UK)
  Despite government efforts, Britain's teenage pregnancy rate is still the highest in western Europe. How can we tackle it?

July 7, 2009

• Texas drops health education requirement (Chron, TX)
  Health class will no longer be a state requirement for high school students this fall.
• State bill introduced that could make birth control more affordable (State News, MI)
  Students might have access to more affordable birth control if state lawmakers vote on legislation aimed at preventing unintentional pregnancies.
• Sonoma Schools Square Off On Sex Ed (CBS 5)
  California schools are supposed to have comprehensive sex education, but some are not following the rules.
• No more same sex classrooms (The Times Daily, AL)
  The terms of the agreement say that beginning this fall, no school will institute any sex segregated programs through 2015.
• Vancouver women-only pharmacy to be North America's first (Canada.com)
  Starting mid-September, customers will also be able to see a nurse practitioner in an adjacent examining room.

July 6, 2009

• Rwanda: Condom Vending Machines Introduced (AllAfrica.com)
  The vending machines will be part of the condom normalisation campaign and will use no electricity.
• State Budget Includes Better Access to Birth Control (WBAY, WI)
  A provision was added to the budget, requiring all pharmacies to fill prescriptions for contraceptives and health care plans to pay for it.
• Sex ed 2.0 (The Star Phoenix, Canada)
  Soda pop spermicide. HIV vaccines: Teachers hear it daily, and say it's why the Internet makes sex ed more, not less, important.
• Burden of HIV disclosure falls on Uganda's women (The Toronto Star)
  For women in many parts of Africa, disclosure is not only difficult, it's dangerous.

July 5, 2009

• Parents can help teenagers steer clear of dating violence (El Paso Times)
  Parents and teens need to be aware of how regularly dating violence occurs and take action to prevent it.

July 2, 2009

• Abstinence only does not work in the real world (The Examiner)
  The AMA recommends that the federal government should use the funding towards teaching teenagers contraceptives and other sex education.
• Gay sex decriminalised in India (BBC News)
  A court in the Indian capital, Delhi, has ruled that homosexual intercourse between consenting adults is not a criminal act.
• Most HIV/AIDS carriers don't know they are infected (Jamaica Observer)
  According the Ministry of Health, two-thirds of those infected with HIV, are not aware they have it.<

July 1, 2009

• Obama White House not appealing transgender ruling (Associated Press)
  The decision not to appeal fits with Obama's campaign promises to protect transgender workers against discrimination.
• Sex education - No kidding matter (DNA India)
  While many feel that sex education should be made mandatory, others feel it should be an optional subject and there are still many who feel it shouldn't be there at all.
• Trichomonas: the STD no one talks about (The Examiner)
  There are more cases of trichomonas in this country than gonorrhea and almost the same number of cases as chlamydia, yet it never seems to generate the same press.

June 2009

June 30, 2009

• Minister doubles condom distribution (The Independent, South Africa)
  Free male condoms would increase from 283 million to 450 million this financial year.
• U.S. preparing to lift HIV travel ban (Seattle Times)
  The CDC is proposing to remove HIV from a list of communicable diseases that make non-citizens ineligible for entry into the U.S.
• AMA: Abstinence-only sex education doesn't work (Orlando Sentinel)
  Report says federal funding should go to more comprehensive sex-ed programs.
• At White House, Obama Aims to Reassure Gays (The Washington Post)
  Obama sought to assure guests that he had not abandoned the issues important to them.
• Black men at higher risk of HIV (Pink News)
  Research has suggested that black men have an increased risk of HIV due to having fewer partners to choose from.

June 29, 2009

• New HIV infection occurs every 9 ½ minutes (The Examiner)
  It’s believed that 1.1 million people in the U.S. have HIV and don’t know it.
• Teens Who Think They'll Die Young Take More Risks (U.S. News and World Report)
  New data shows that teens who anticipated an early death when first asked in 2005 were more likely to have made a suicide attempt, had unsafe sex, or been arrested a year later.
• Gay Rights Groups Praise Pending End to HIV Travel Ban (The Washington Post)
  An ending is close on the 1987 U.S. ban on travel and immigration by foreign nationals infected with HIV.
• L.A. County sheriff considers expanding condom distribution in jail (LA Times)
  The transfer rate of HIV/AIDS in jail continues to be high and the public is at risk because once released, inmates carry the diseases back to their communities.
• Comprehensive sex ed said to have most impact (American Medical News)
  A report says abstinence should be one part -- but not the only one -- of teaching kids about sexual activity.
• Teen pregnancy prevention (Suwannee Democrat, FL)
  Teen pregnancy prevention - it's no just a teen's problem, it's everyone's problem.

June 28, 2009

• HIV rates increasing in Salt Lake County (Deseret News, Utah)
  The Salt Lake Valley Health Department says that HIV rates have been steadily increasing in the valley for the past three years.

June 26, 2009

• Sex ed to get a lot more explicit (The News & Observer, NC)
  Districts must begin offering comprehensive sex education in 2010, in lessons for students in seventh through ninth grades.

June 25, 2009

• Few sexually active teens in US get HIV test -CDC (Reuters)
  According to the CDC, only 22 percent of sexually active high school students are tested for HIV.
• State legislators introduce reproductive health disparity bills (Michigan Messenger)
  The set of 15 bills address sex education, dispensing of prescriptions, crisis pregnancy centers and access for victims of rape, to emergency contraception.
• CLOSE TO HOME: Sex mis-education in schools (Press Democrat)
  Like many abstinence-only programs, the Free to Be program exaggerates the failure rates of condoms.
• North Carolina Program Pays Girls a Dollar a Day Not to Get Pregnant (Fox News)
  Girls in the program attend 90-minute meetings every week at which they receive lessons in abstinence and the use of contraceptives.

June 24, 2009

• FDA Approves Generic Emergency Contraceptive for Teens (MedPage Today)
  The product will be available on a prescription-only basis and only to women 17 or younger.
• Sex-ed bill gets moved forward; Anti-bullying bill does include gender identity (Winston-Salem Journal)
  Two hotly debated bills that intertwine schools and sex advanced yesterday in the General Assembly.
• Sex education bill clears state Senate (Fayetteville Observer, NC)
  If passed, all school districts would have to teach a comprehensive program in addition to the abstinence-until-marriage program, however, parents would be given a chance to opt their children out.

June 23, 2009

• Sex education saves lives (Bangkok Post)
  As long as the sex education is comprehensive, there is an understanding and acceptance of the reality that sex is serious, and that there are consequences and responsibilities associated with it.
• Game For HIV Positive Youth Developed (Science Daily)
  Researchers developed a game for HIV-positive youth, designed to reduce secondary transmission of the virus.
• La. Senate OKs bill to allow health care refusal (Associated Press)
  The bill would protect health providers from civil or criminal penalties, job loss or demotion because they refuse to provide certain services based on religious or moral beliefs.
• Ariz. Legislature approves abortion constraints (Associated Press)
  Women seeking an abortion would have to wait 24 hours after their initial visit to the abortion provider.
• Sex education goes full circle (The Washington Times)
  A columnist speculates on the future of sex education.

June 22, 2009

• Online map details HIV prevalence in each state (San Francisco Chronicle)
  A new online tool contains detailed information about HIV and AIDS in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

June 20, 2009

• Why are condoms disliked by so many men? (ABC News)
  The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has commissioned a study of condom use.

June 19, 2009

• South Africa rapes linked to macho culture-study author (Reuters)
  The HIV prevalence among those who raped was 19.6 percent.
• Mississippi needs sex ed programs (Hattiesburg American)
  Mississippi has the highest teen birth rate in the nation.<
• Rise in teen pregnancy feared (The Jackson Ciitizen Patriot)
  Though new data shows Jackson County's teen pregnancy rate has improved, area officials worry the sour economy may hurt the progress made in the last decade. 
• Shanghai sees more HIV/AIDS cases among men who have sex with men (Xinhau News)
  The city is now carrying out an intervention and education campaign to combat HIV transmission through unsafe sex.

June 18, 2009

• Why Are Teen Births Rising? (Washington Post)
  According to new research, the recent increase in teen births appears to be primarily the result of a decrease in contraceptive use, especially condoms.
• Lack Of Access To Contraception Persists In Nigeria, Study Finds (Medican News Today)
  Nearly one-third of sexually active women ages 15 to 24 in Nigeria had an unmet need for modern contraception in 2003.
• Teens still having unprotective sex (Times of India)
  A new report finds contraceptive use by teens has declined while their sexual activity has remained unchanged.
• A crunch on HIV/Aids budgets in sub-saharan Africa (The Daily Monitor, Uganda)
  International donors and African governments are likely to cut health budgets due to the global financial crisis.
• Sex-ed bill to be considered today. (Citizen Times, NC)
  The state Senate could decide today whether to require
  all school districts to teach comprehensive sex education with the abstinence education that most districts teach now.
• Utah lawmaker pushes for sex ed reform (The Salt Lake Tribune)
  Many of the students showed up Wednesday for a legislative meeting said they want better sex education.

June 17, 2009

• The Virginity Movement, Rebranded (The Nation)
  Now that there's a new administration in Washington, we need to ensure not only that we hold our leaders accountable but that we direct the national conversation about sex, gender and health.
• HIV-positive speaker denied entry to Seattle health conference (Seattle Times)
  Paul Thorn, a British activist, said he was denied a U.S. visa because he is HIV positive.
• Failure to Launch: Obama's New Teen Initiative Can Be Fixed, and Here's How (RH Reality CHeck)
  The President's budget launched us in a new and important direction. Now we just need to make sure that we arrive at the right destination.
• Labor group takes on CVS over locked-up condoms (The Tennessean)
  Young people are less likely to ask a store associate for access to the condoms.

June 16, 2009

• Obama Intends to Extend Federal Benefits to Unmarried Partners (Washington Post)
  The move would give partners of federal employees access to health care and financial benefits such as relocation fees for moves.
  
• Planned Parenthood confronts CHIP re contraception (KPAX TV, MT)
  The state's Children's Health Insurance Plan, or CHIP, discriminates against young women because it prohibits coverage of contraception.
• Top UN officials urge continued AIDS funding amid economic crisis (UN News Centre)
  Slashing resources now could mean greater costs and suffering in the future.
• Plan stresses abstinence from sex (The Park Record, UT)
  Teachers cannot discuss methods of birth control like condoms.
• Foundation gives $1M grant to help curb relationship violence (NY Daily News)
  City figures show that 10% of New York teens are physically attacked by a boyfriend or girlfriend each year.

June 15, 2009

• Teens understand emergency-contraception labels (Vancouver Sun)
  A new study of girls 12- to 17-year-old, found that most understood the information on the emergency-contraception labeling.
  
• Human papillomavirus is also a problem for men (The Examiner)
  Over half of the human population is exposed to HPV at one point in their lives.
  
• Cupid all set to launch low cost female condoms in India (Equity Bulls, India)
  A good alternative to contraceptives to help women protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies.
  
• Anti-bullying, sex-ed bills become law (Stateman Journal, OR)
  Both take effect July 1 to go into use when school starts.
• Plan to reduce teen pregnancies (BBC News)
  Proposals to tackle teenage pregnancies in Wales have been unveiled with plans for better sex education to be taught.
• School praised for boosting pupils' sex education (Chronicle Live, UK)
  A Special school has been praised for the way it teaches youngsters about sex and relationships.

June 14, 2009

• Parents 'no longer prudish on sex' (Press Association)
  Parents are no longer concerned about their children carrying contraception, with a fifth saying they have bought condoms to keep at home, a survey has found.
• Threats, violence seen eroding US abortion rights (Reuters)
  In recent years, U.S. clinics have been bombed, set on fire, threatened with anthrax and acid, and physicians have been stalked and patients harassed.
• Georgia teen pregnancy rate too high (Macon.com)
  Sixty-two times each day a teen girl somewhere in Georgia learns she is pregnant.

June 12, 2009

• Latest sex-ed proposal unpopular (The Fayetteville Observer, NC)
  Neither side likes the latest legislative proposal for sex education.

June 11, 2009

• Oklahoma’s teen pregnancy rate among highest in U.S. (KXII News, OK)
  The state's teen pregnancy rate isn't just on the rise, a new study shows it's one of the highest in the nation.
• Does your teen need HIV testing? (The Examiner)
  Many teens present at the doctor's office during the earliest and most contagious stage of HIV.
• Changes in N.C. sex ed bill concern some lawmakers (News 14, NC)
  More changes are being made to a controversial sex education bill in the General Assembly.
• Vow to Europe to Offer Sex Ed Angers Parents (The Moscow Times)
  The lack of modern sex education in Russian schools may have to change.
• MTV series spotlights how pregnant teens cope with motherhood (NY Daily News)
  "16 and Pregnant" is a documentary series of hourlong episodes chronicling a five- to seven-month period in the life of a pregnant teen.
• Teenagers unite for e-fight against HIV (Independent Online, South Africa)
  Global youth are using e-technology to combat teen pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in South Africa and around the world.

June 10, 2009

• Will Pennsylvania lead the way on comprehensive, post-'abstinence only' sex education? (The Examiner)
  A new bill would require public schools to notify parents if the sex-ed curriculum teaches only abstinence when it comes to preventing pregnancy and the spread of disease.
• Racial Disparities in Illness Highlighted (The Washington Post)
  Black women in the District suffer from obesity, diabetes, heart disease and generally poor health in alarmingly high numbers, and white women do not.
• Abortion foes interested in buying Kansas clinic (The Associated Press)
  Operation Rescue is interested in making an offer for the property of Dr. Tiller's clinic.
• The real story from teen dads (The Washington Times)
  "If we want to reduce teen pregnancy in the District, we've got to pay attention to boys and girls."
• Parents, Pennsylvania lawmakers weigh in on proposed sex ed change (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
  There are two bills in the Legislature that would change regulations.
• God and Abstinence (The Huffington Post)
  At the Mississippi Department of Human Services' summit entitled "Abstinence Works: Let's Talk About It," we didn't talk about abstinence, but we sure did cheer and pray about it.
• Legislature Will Take Up Contraception Bill Again (KCPW, Utah)
  The bill would allow health instructors to teach about contraception in public schools.

June 9, 2009

• Suspect claims 'victory' in closing of slain doctor's clinic (CNN)
  Roeder is jailed on first-degree murder and aggravated assault charges in Tiller's death.
• HIV in South Africa 'levels off' (BBC News)
  South Africa's HIV epidemic has leveled off at an infection rate of 10.9% for those aged two or older, according to a new study.
• Condom cards for British boys to promote contraceptive use (Money Times, India)
  Boys in the United Kingdom as young as 12 will have access to condom 'credit cards'.

June 8, 2009

• Teen Pregnancy: The Tangled Web (Vision Media)
  Parents blame schools and media, the media throw responsibility back to the parents and schools, and many hold government responsible.
• Local schools, state step up sex education efforts (Beaver County Times, PA)
  No standards exist for comprehensive sex education in Pennsylvania public schools.
• Court rejects challenge to 'don't ask, don't tell' (The Washington Post)
  The Supreme Court turned down a challenge to the Pentagon policy forbidding gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
• Stop in the name of love (Philadelphia Inquirer)
  Researchers cite evidence indicating withdrawal is almost as reliable as condoms over the course of a year.

June 7, 2009

• Simmering sex-ed battle heats up (Press Democrat)
  California Department of Education officials say an abstinence-only group breaks state law when it teaches in the classroom.
  
• Abstinence out of favor in Raleigh, Washington (Citizen Times, NC)
  Democratic state lawmakers have proposed a two-track system in which parents would choose abstinence or comprehensive lessons for their seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders.
  
• Abortion Providers Across U.S. Honor Tiller (ABC News)
  Doctors Say Tiller's Murder Will Not Affect Their Resolve to Perform Abortions.
  

June 5, 2009

• Gay youths coming out of the closet and onto the Web (Chicago Tribune)
  Though the reasons vary, many younger gays are using social networking sites to tell family, friends and others who they are.
• HIV challenges African-American community (Cincinnati.com)
  Epidemic spreads amid fear, ignorance, denial

June 4, 2009

• Young adults becoming victims of growing apathy over HIV-AIDS (Medill Reports, Chicago)
  Adolescents and young adults are contracting AIDS at rising rates compared to other age groups.
• Legislative battles indicate culture wars still take toll (Houston Chronicle)
  Divisions over the State Board of Education and sex education truly illuminated the staying power of the culture wars in our state’s political life.
• Gay marriage becomes law: N.H. sixth state to extend rights (The Concord Monitor)
  The Governor said he hopes New Hampshire residents who don't agree with same-sex marriage will come to see that it poses no threat to traditional marriage.
• Concern over young people's risky sex (The Guardian)
  Sexual health survey shows HIV/AIDS awareness in decline among 16- to 24-year-olds, while fewer use condoms.

June 3, 2009

• Sex education reduces abortions (The Des Moines Register)
  Realize that contraception and sex education will reduce abortions.
• CVS Still Locking Condoms, Selling Expired Products, Says ‘Cure CVS’ (Black Voice News)
  Cure CVS surveyors found that condoms were only locked up in stores located in communities of color.
• First-Degree Murder Charged in Tiller Case (The Washington Post)
  The prosecutor said unspecified evidence ruled out the death penalty.
  
• 'Common ground' elusive (The Chicago Tribune)
  Slaying of abortion doctor a setback for Obama.
  
• Why save sex ed for the end of the year? (Sun Sentinel, FL)
  Just before the end of the school year, every year, my kids' schools decide to squeeze in sex education.
  

June 2, 2009

• Bill Proposes Immigration Rights for Gay Couples (The New York Times)
  Senator Leahy introduces the Uniting American Families Act.
  
• Intervention Program Also Effective In Curbing Teen Pregnancy Rates (All Headline News)
  A program aimed at preventing criminal behavior in at-risk teenage girls also reduces the teens' pregnancy rates.

June 1, 2009

• George Tiller's Murder and Sotomayor (Huffington Post)
  We need to take action--action to express defense of the separation of religion and state.
• Cheney Comes Out for Gay Marriage, State-by-State (The Washington Post)
  He says it should be decided by the states rather than the federal government.
• Abortion Doctor George Tiller Persevered Even in 'Climate of Intimidation and Fear' (ABC News)
  The controversial abortion doctor was gunned down in a Wichita church Sunday.
• Low-Cost HIV Monitoring Test Now Available for Third World Countries (Chattahbox.com)
  The test costs $2 and delivers results within 30 minutes.