Tag Archives: sexual education

Today’s Lady News: Utah Governor Vetoes Abstinence Sex Ed Bill

Jessica WakemanMarch 19, 2012 //
  • Utah’s governor Gary Herbert, a Republican, vetoed a bill that would have forced all sexual education classes to only teach abstinence, with no mention of contraception, as well as be “opt-in” instead of “opt-out.” The Utah bill would also have forbidden any discussion of homosexuality. Anyone else scared that this bill passed Utah’s state House and Senate in the first place? [Think Progress]
  • Tennessee’s House Health and Human Resources Committee will take up a bill this week that would require the names of abortion providers, as well as demographic information about women who have abortions, to be listed online. Anti-abortion activists are using the “it’s more information!” smokescreen, while pro-choice activists say this is just another way of trying to intimidate doctors and women. [Feminist.org]
  • Why did a profile of feminist activist Gloria Steinem run in the “Fashion & Style” section of The New York Times? I mean, really, people!  [NY Times]
  • And let’s discuss: do we really need another Gloria Steinem, anyway? [Bitch Magazine]
    Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: NYC Public Schools To Require Students Take Sex Ed

Jessica WakemanAugust 10, 2011 //
  • Beginning this year, New York City’s public middle school and high school students will be required to take sex education classes. Classes include directions on how to use a condom and discussions about STDs and pregnancy. Wait, what, this didn’t already exist? Apparently not. The New York Times reports this is the first time in almost 20 years students are required to take sex ed in this level of detail. [New York Times]
  • The New York Times Magazine has a piece coming up this weekend about “pregnancy reduction,” which is when someone who is pregnant with twins or other multiples aborts some of the fetuses so that they only give birth to one child. [New York Times Magazine]
  • Women only hold one-quarter of jobs in science, technology, engineering and math, which is the same level they did in 2000. [Think Progress]

Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: UK Politicians Support Girls-Only Abstinence Education

Jessica WakemanMay 5, 2011 //
  • Politicians in the UK advanced a bill that would require British girls — yes, only the girls — to receive additional sex education that emphasizes the benefits of abstinence. This sex ed “program,” if you could even call it that, is aimed at girls ages 13 to 16. It narrowly passed, but fortunately it’s not expected to be made into law. Um, will someone tell the Brits that abstinence-only education is not working out too well for us? Do they have “16 & Pregnant” on MTV over there? [Guardian UK]
  • North Carolina’s House judiciary committee debated a bill yesterday that would further restrict reproductive rights in the state by requiring women to wait 24 hours before having an abortion and requiring doctors to describe an ultrasound of the fetus to the woman. [ABC News]
  • Legislation that would make it more difficult for young women to obtain abortions without their parents knowledge is headed to Florida’s Governor Rick Scott, who is expected to sign it. [Palm Beach Post]

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Teen Sex Ed Web Site Needs To Stop! Why? Because It Talks To Teens About Sex

Jessica WakemanApril 26, 2011 //

Stop the presses, people! Teenagers are on the Internet … reading about sex … and how to do it safely. SCANDAL, right? It is in Massachusetts. MariaTalks.com is a race-, gender- and sexual-orientation-inclusive sex ed website for teens created by the not-for-profit AIDS Action Committee with a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The site provides fact-based information about emergency contraception, birth control, STDs and sexual coercion. In short, it covers all the ground you’d hope a 16- or 17-year-old (or 14- or 15-year-old) would read before getting sexually active. But, oh yes, some politicians have a problem with the website. Keep reading »

Girl Talk: I Dated A “True Love Waits” Christian

Rachel Rabbit WhiteFebruary 16, 2011 //
Virginity & Depression
Why do girls get depressed after losing their virginity? Read More »
Losing The V-Card
Losing my virginity was a laugh. Read More »
Dealbreaker
Sorry, but at 26, virginity is a dealbreaker. Read More »

I grew up in a small town. It was in the “heartland”– the middle of the country, yet everyone had twangy Southern accents. The town didn’t have much money or restaurants or people. But we did have churches. Churches in pole-barns, churches whose congregations were made up of only one family, churches in the hills with members who spoke in tongues and fancy churches with stained glass that told you to vote for George Bush.

All through my youth, I probably would have said I was a Christian. It was just the default. My parents did take me to church when I was little, I grabbed from the tin of sugar-cookies and drank dixie cups of watery Kool-Aid, but I had somehow remained a bit feral. Keep reading »

Provincetown, Mass., Offers Condoms To All Students — Yes, Even Elementary Schoolers

Jessica WakemanJune 24, 2010 //


Starting in September, the small, seaside town of Provincetown, Massachusetts, will give a condom to any student in grades 1 through 12 who asks for one — but only if they listen to a “birds and the bees” talk first. Keep reading »

A 56-Year-Old Virgin!

Amelia McDonell-ParrySeptember 22, 2009 //


Last week, a retired school teacher named Deborah Parish came before the Texas Board of Education to argue for sex education in schools. “Kids are not ready to be parents, nor are they ready to have AIDS,” she said. I don’t think anyone’s ever ready to have AIDS, but that’s besides the point. “I don’t think any of these people know you can have sexual satisfaction without taking your clothes off,” she said. “OK, embarrassment, I’m 56 years old and I’m a virgin … technically.” A few minutes later, Deborah was interrupted and told that she had arrived to the hearing a day late for that particular topic. The Board was currently discussing physical education and alcohol awareness. [Gawker] — Awwwwkard. Keep reading »