Free Condoms for College Students :: Apps due Sept 1.

College students - apply to be a distribution point, known as a SafeSite, for free condoms for your peers.

Why is this important?
* In 2009, 62.3% of high school seniors had sex. As a country, 95% of people have had sex before they get married.
* In 2009, 39% of high school students did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse.
* Every year, there are about 19 million new STD infections in the US. Almost half are among youth 15-24.
* 61% of students who have a child after enrolling in a community college drop out before finishing a degree or credential. 48% of all community college students have been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant.
* In this economic crisis, family planning centers are struggling to meet the increasing demand for contraceptive services.

Yep. It’s that serious. In addition to educating their peers about safer sex, SafeSites also do advocacy work on sexual and reproductive health issues such as contraceptive access, comprehensive sex education, GLBTQ issues and more.

For more information about the Great American Condom Campaign and to apply to be a SafeSite, go here. Keep up with the Campaign on Facebook.

Win a Trip to DC for the 5th Annual One Voice : Reproductive Health & Population Summit

photos: from previous One Voice Summit

There is a direct connection between our health and the health of the planet. Today, more than one billion youth – the largest number ever – are entering their reproductive years. At the same time, we face dwindling access to sexual and reproductive health information and services as well as pressing global challenges like water scarcity, global warming, and poverty. The voices and decisions of this generation will have an impact on our world for years to come.

US residents between the ages of 16 - 24 can win a trip to Washington, DC (flight, accommodations, and meals) to attend the 5th Annual One Voice : Reproductive Health & Population Summit from March 26 - 29, 2010.

The One Voice Summit is a two-day training and policy maker education day for youth activists who are interested in environmental and reproductive justice issues domestically and globally.

Participants will:
* Share info about the intersections of sexual and reproductive health & the environment through a human rights framework
* Develop media relations skills
* Learn how to work with policy makers
* Community Organizing skills
* Advocacy skills

Participants will also participate in a policy maker education day, meeting with their Members of Congress to request support for domestic and international policies supportive of evidence-based sexual and reproductive health programming.

In order to enter the contest you must be between the ages of 16 - 24, and you must live in the USA. To enter, write an essay 500 words or less about the potential roles youth can play in advocating for a more just and sustainable world, where all people have access to sexual and reproductive health services and a healthy environment.

Deadline is 5pm PST on February 3rd.

To enter the contest go to www.onevoicesummit.org.

Sponsored by Advocates for Youth, SIECUS (Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US), and the Sierra Club.

Nancy Pelosi's Office responds to my Letter

photo: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with husband Paul Pelosi at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors Award










January 19, 2010


Dear Nicole:


Thank you for contacting me to express your views on health care reform for women. I appreciate hearing from you on this critical issue.

In our current health care system, women often face higher health care costs than men and multiple other barriers to obtaining health insurance. Fewer women are eligible for employer-based coverage, and in the individual insurance market, women face discrimination - often being charged substantially higher premiums for the same coverage as men or being denied coverage for such "pre-existing" conditions as pregnancy, giving birth by Cesarean section, domestic violence, or breast cancer. In a recent study, more than half of women reported delaying needed medical care due to cost.

On July 14th, the Chairmen of the three Committees with jurisdiction over health policy in the House?"Chairman Henry Waxman and Chairman Emeritus John Dingell of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Chairman Charles B. Rangel of the Ways and Means Committee, and Chairman George Miller of the Education and Labor Committee?"introduced H.R.3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 to curb out-of-control costs, encourage competition among insurance plans to improve choices for patients, and expand access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

On October 29th, I was proud to announce that House Democrats had achieved consensus to create one bill, H.R.3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. The Affordable Health Care for America Act is founded on key principles of American success: opportunity, choice, competition, and innovation.

This legislation directly addresses the issue that women are charged nearly 50 percent more than men for the same coverage when they purchase insurance in the individual market. H.R.3962 makes it illegal for insurance companies to use "gender rating" - charging women more than men for the same coverage. This bill also makes it against the law for insurance companies to deny coverage or charge higher premiums based on "pre-existing" conditions, such as pregnancy, C-sections, domestic violence, or breast cancer.

H.R.3962 also protects reproductive and preventive care services that are essential to a woman's health. Maternity services are included in the essential benefits package outlined in the bill. As a result, all health insurance plans in the Health Insurance Exchange would be required to cover maternity services and over time, plans outside the Exchange would be required to do so as well. This bill also makes key preventive services, ranging from mammograms to well-baby care, more affordable by eliminating all co-pays and deductibles for recommended preventive services.

Both pro-life and pro-choice Members of Congress worked with Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) to craft a compromise amendment adopted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to H.R.3200 that would maintain longstanding federal policy on abortion services. This amendment barred federal funding for abortions as consistent with the Hyde amendment, which bans federal funding for abortions in all cases except in the cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment; however, private insurance companies would continue to be able to offer abortion coverage using private funds. Additionally, the Capps amendment provides that at least one plan in each market area must offer such services and one plan must not.

During debate on the House floor on November 7th, Representative Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Representative Joe Pitts (R-PA) offered an amendment to H.R.3962 that would go beyond current law. This amendment would extend the Hyde amendment restrictions and ban coverage for most abortions from all public and private health plans in the Health Insurance Exchange created in this bill. It also requires women to purchase a separate policy rider for abortion services. The Stupak-Pitts amendment passed by a vote of 240 - 194.

On November 7th, the House of Representatives passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962, in a bipartisan vote of 220-215.

The Senate followed suit on December 24th and passed their version of health insurance reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, H.R. 3590, by a vote of 60 - 39. This bill includes an amendment crafted by Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) that would permit private and public health care plans to offer abortion services, but would bar federal funding for abortions as consistent with the Hyde amendment. Rather than requiring women to purchase a separate policy rider for abortion services, this amendment requires that enrollees make two separate payments: one for their basic policy premium and one for coverage of abortion services.

The Stupak-Pitts amendment goes beyond current law to place restrictions on private plans. I am working with my colleagues to ensure that we pass health care reform for all Americans, while still maintaining current law regarding abortion services.

I have long been a supporter of a woman's right to affordable and accessible reproductive health care, and I am firmly committed to health insurance reform that protects that right and ends insurance discrimination against women. Please be assured I will keep your comments in mind as I continue to fight for legislation that puts Americans and their doctors back in charge, holds insurance companies accountable, guarantees stability and peace of mind, lowers costs, and provides more choices for higher quality care.

Thank you again for contacting me on this critical issue. I hope you will continue to communicate with me on matters of concern to you. For more information on this or other issues affecting our city and our nation, please visit my website at www.house.gov/pelosi or sign up to receive e-mail updates at www.house.gov/pelosi/IMA/subscription.html.


Sincerely,
Nancy Pelosi
Member of Congress

Take Action Today :: Women's Reproductive Rights & The US Health Care Bill

Today is the Not Under The Bus Campaign's Take Action Day, sponsored by the Women's Media Center.

Right now, the US Congress is reconciling the US House of Representatives' and the US Senate's versions of the health care bill behind closed doors. According to The Hill newspaper, the pace will pick up Wednesday, January 13th when six House Democrats (Reps. Pelosi, Rangel, Steny Hoyer (Md.), James Clyburn (S.C.), George Miller (Calif.), and Henry Waxman (Calif.)) join a group of five Democratic senators (Sens. Dodd, Harry Reid (Nev.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Max Baucus (Mont.) and Tom Harkin (Iowa)) at the White House.

One of the issues up for debate is women's reproductive rights. I've blogged about this before, but here's a nice recap from the National Women's Law Center:

The Stupak-Pitts amendment in the House bill prevents women from using their own personal funds to purchase an insurance plan that includes abortion coverage in the new health insurance exchanges -- taking away essential coverage that most insurance plans provide today. Senator Ben Nelson's addition to the Senate bill also contains an unworkable and unfair approach to abortion coverage by imposing arbitrary and burdensome hurdles to secure access to abortion care.



Please sign NARAL Pro-Choice petition by 12noon on January 20th, here.

The other petition I like, that I think you should sign is the National Women's Law Center's petition hosted on the Change.org website, here.

If you sign one or both of these petitions then you'll be in good company! Change.org reported last month that the Berkeley, CA City Council sent coat hangers to 20 Members of Congress.

From the Change.org blog post:

"It's great to send a letter, but I think it's more effective to send a coat hanger," Councilmember Kriss Worthington argued before the vote. So the care package included both, the letter reading: "The City of Berkeley is sending you this coat hanger as a symbol of the horrible pain and suffering endured by women as a result of years of anti-choice policies imposed by our government. ... We strongly support health care reform but it is unconscionable that this should come at the expense of a woman’s reproductive rights."

If you are a student then join The Hanger Project by printing out the above graphics as tags, attaching them to wire hangers, and displaying them around your dorm or campus. More info here.

Federal Funds to be Allocated for Teen Pregnancy Prevention, not Abstinence Only Education

I've been so busy following COP15 that I missed this great news!


Last week the US House of Representatives passed the Omnibus Appropriations Bill. This bill contains all of the remaining fiscal year 2010 federal spending bills, with the exception of Defense. This past Sunday the US Senate passed the Omnibus Appropriations Bill by a vote of 57-35. The bill will now go to President Obama for his signature.

This is exciting because the bill contains two provisions that will positively affect the sexual health of young people.

* Congress and the Obama Administration removed all direct funding ($99.5 million) for the Community-Based Abstinence Education program. Instead the government is providing $114.5 million for more comprehensive teenage pregnancy prevention.

"This bill marks the first time since 1981 that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs will not receive dedicated federal funding in the coming fiscal year," says Jen Heitel Yakush, assistant director for public policy at Sexuality Information & Education Council of the US.

* Congress and the Obama Administration established the Office of Adolescent Health, which will fall within the Office of the Secretary at the US Department of Health and Human Services. The Office of Adolescent Health will monitor the Community-Based Abstinence Education program.

According to the conference summary, “the conferees intend that the Office of Adolescent Health shall coordinate its efforts with the Administration for Children and Families, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other appropriate HHS offices and operating divisions.”

The Office of Adolescent Health will also integrate and coordinate a broad array of adolescent health issues, including wellness, substance abuse, mental health, and
obesity.


Additionally, for the first time in many years the US will contribute $55 million to the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF). Funding to UNFPA was withheld during George W. Bush's administration.

Unfortunately an attempt to permanently eliminate the global gag rule - also known as the "Mexico City policy" - was passed by the Senate but pulled out during conference committee.

Send a Coat Hanger to 20 Pro-Choice House Dems who supported Stupak Amendement

Just received this email action alert:

As we all prepare for the next steps in the fight to stop abortion restrictions in health care reform, one critical question remains unanswered:

Why did 20 pro-choice House Democrats vote to approve the Stupak amendment, the most serious assault on abortion rights in a generation?

Advocates for Youth is partnering with CREDO Action to send these Democrats a message.

Sign our petition and CREDO Action will send a coat hanger to the 20 formerly pro-choice Democrats who voted to take away women's rights.

Tell these 20 Democrats - all of them men, by the way - to reconsider their vote and urge Congressional leadership to do everything they can to ensure that health care reform does not take women back to an era of coat hangers and back alley abortions.

Advocates for Youth is working with CREDO Action to collect as many signatures as possible by next Tuesday, November 24. Add your name to the list of those taking a stand for women’s reproductive rights!

We still have time to stop this dangerous language from being included in the final health care reform bill. Young people are organizing on campuses and in communities in preparation for a National Day of Action on December 2 – and I’ll be in touch with more information about how we can all get involved with these efforts. I look forward to working with you in the coming weeks.

Together, we can make sure that Americans get the health care reform we all need – without sacrificing women’s health and lives along the way!

Thank you for all you are doing to help with these important efforts.


Sarah Audelo
Program Manager, Youth Activist Network

Senate Health Care Bill Restores Abstinence-Only Funding

Taken from today's Newsweek article -

While the Senate toned down the House's language on abortion restrictions, it may have ratcheted things up with another controversial, reproductive health issue: abstinence-only education. Sec. 2954 of the Senate health reform bill, released Wednesday evening, restores funding for abstinence education.

Their provision would restore a program called Title V, which, since the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, has allocated a yearly $50 million in grants to abstinence-only education programs.

If the Senate language survives reconciliation, the Title V program will be extended through 2014.