World AIDS Day - December 1st

World AIDS Day is being observed across the globe tomorrow, Saturday, December 1st. Various events will be occurring around the Chicagoland area, including World AIDS Day Test Out, which offers free HIV counseling and testing services through the Chicago Department of Public Health and its community partners. For those unable to make it to one of these locations, you can always make an appointment at the Planned Parenthood health center near you.

World AIDS Day marks a day of awareness and stresses the importance of prevention through education. It also provides us with a blatant reminder that while the government continues to fund abstinence-only programs, more and more young people are denied life-saving information. These dangerous programs fail to provide youths with the necessary information they need to make responsible decisions. Without the facts, our teens may not be fully prepared to protect themselves from infections like HIV/AIDS.

I hope you'll take this opportunity to visit one of our friends, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. AFC, a leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS, works to stop the spread of new infections and improve current HIV/AIDS services through advocacy, care, and prevention projects. Their website contains lots of information and educational materials. For example, take a look at these quick facts:

- An estimated 10,000 HIV-positive Illinoisans (25%) do not know they are infected with HIV.
- In Illinois, 84% of people reported with HIV diagnoses reside in the Chicago metro area.
- More than 1,000 Chicagoans are believed to be infected with HIV each year.

On December 1st, let's remember that HIV/AIDS effects communities from Chicago, to Bejing, to Cape Town. Let's spread the word that education and testing are essential parts of prevention. To learn more, visit http://www.aids.gov/. To find a testing site near you, go to http://www.hivtest.org/ or visit your closest Planned Parenthood health center.


Technorati tags: tagname, Planned Parenthood, World AIDS Day, HIV, AIDS Foundation of Chicago

Good news in fight against abstinence-only sex ed

Earlier this month, Illinois Review, a conservative blog announced that funding for Project Reality has been cut from the state budget. This is a great step toward getting young people medically-accurate information about sex and how to protect themselves from STDs and unplanned pregnancy.

Consider this quote from a Project Reality Curriculum:

“While condom usage has increased among teens, the spread of STDs has also increased most among teens.” This comes from A.C. Green’s Game Plan, which is published by Project Reality. It clearly makes it sound like it's all those people who ARE using condoms that are responsible for the rise in STDs. Sound a little backwards to you?

A curriculum review by the Illinois Campaign for Responsible Sex Eduction (of which Planned Parenthood is a part) found that Project Reality's curricula excludes information on sexual anatomy, contraceptive options and information, information on testing and treatment for STDs, sexual orientation, information on sexual harassment, rape, sexual assault and dating violence, and prevention information for students who have already become sexually active. You'll find more from Project Reality on the website.

Can you believe our state was funding this?

In addition, numerous studies (like this one from Mathematica) have come out recently which show that abstinence-only education is not effective. We should give props to the Governor for cutting an ineffective program that was misleading Illinois youth.

Technorati tags: Abstinence-only, Sex Education, Project Reality, Planned Parenthood Action Illinois

Time for new options in the fight against HIV/AIDS

In the United States and across the globe, women and girls are the fastest-growing population with HIV/AIDS. If we're going to stem the tide of this epidemic, we need to address gender inequality and create a full spectrum of HIV prevention options so women can put the power of prevention in their own hands.

Microbicides have tremendous potential to fill the gap in women and girl's abilities to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS . Microbicides are substances currently in development that could help reduce the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) when applied vaginally or rectally. Though not yet available, researchers are working to create microbicides that would come in a variety of forms including gels, creams, suppositories, lubricants, or a vaginal ring that would slowly release the active ingredient.

What's it going to take to make microbicides a reality? Mostly, more funding. The Microbicides Development Act of 2007 has been introduced to strengthen, streamline, and focus the United States’ commitment to microbicides research and development.

Take Action to support the Microbicides Development Act! In honor of World AIDS Day, coming up this Saturday, please spread the word and encourage your friends to take action.

For more about microbicides and how you can get involved, visit www.aidschicago.org/prevention/microbicides.php.

Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area is a proud member of the Chicago Women and Girls HIV Prevention Coalition.

Technorati tags: Microbicides, HIV/AIDS, World AIDS Day, Planned Parenthood Action Illinois

Check out this podcast interview with Steve Trombley

Check out Amanda Marcotte's latest podcast on RH Reality Check. Amanda interviews Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area CEO, Steve Trombley about the latest in Aurora.

Amanda and Steve talk about the success of our Aurora center, where we're now seeing far more patients than we expected, as well as the support we've experienced from the community. Aurora residents continue to drop by our center to offer messages of support - one even sent a honey-baked ham to our staff!

Steve and Amanda also discuss the regional importance of the Aurora center as more states pass restrictions on abortion. As the battle over access to abortion continues, women will have to travel farther distances to terminate a pregnancy. This is another reason why our Aurora center is a critical resource for women in Illinois and throughout the region.

Amanda's podcast also takes on Bill O'Reilly, Matthew Dubay and Tyra. Listen to Amanda's podcast here.

Technorati tags: Steve Trombley, Aurora Health Center, abortion access, Planned Parenthood Action Illinois

Women Take Charge Night

This December 6th, the office of Governor Blagojevich is sponsoring "Women Take Charge Night" at various locations around the state of Illinois. The events are being held in order to raise awareness about the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, begun in 1995. The program offers free breast and cervical cancer screenings and treatment for eligible women who live in Illinois and do not have insurance.

These events are open to the public and are a great opportunity for women and their families to learn about important information regarding breast and cervical cancer. There will be prizes available and an RSVP is encouraged. To view the list of locations and to RSVP, click here.

Now that the holidays are upon us, many of us will be celebrating with close friends and family. It's not a favorite topic of conversation, but I challenge all of you to encourage your loved ones to get regular breast and cervical cancer screenings. Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in women and early detection is the best way to prevent death from the disease. Let them know you want them around for many more healthy years and many more happy holidays.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

For more information about breast and cervical cancer, check out these sites:

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

American Cancer Society

Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization


Technorati tags: tagname, breast cancer, cervical cancer, Planned Parenthood, cancer screening

Megan Kelly's story still resonates today

Last night I got to meet Megan Kelly at a great event hosted by NCJW members in Aurora. This summer NCJW launched a program called Plan A, which aims to ensure women have access to contraceptives.

Megan was the perfect speaker for this topic - you may remember her as one of the brave women who stood up to a pharmacist who refused to fill her prescriptions for birth control and Emergency Contraception (EC) in the summer of 2005. Here's how Megan retold it last night:

"The pharmacist, a woman, leaned toward me and said 'I can't fill this.' I thought they must be out of my birth control, but then she said, 'I can't fill this for moral reasons - I don't believe in it.' I couldn't believe it. I thought I must be on candid camera!"

Megan's initial shock gave way to outrage and she took her story public. In fact, she took it all the way to Congress where she testified in front of the U.S. House Small Business Committee. In her testimony Megan said, “Women should never be denied basic health care services by pharmacists who choose to impose their own beliefs on others.”

The Osco drug store in St. Charles that refused to fill Megan's prescriptions was charged $37,500 for violating a rule that requires all pharmacies in Illinois to dispense prescriptions for contraceptives without delay.

While women in Illinois are more protected from this type of discrimination now (thanks to women like Megan, who stood up to pharmacists who refused their prescriptions) this is still an extremely important issue for women and everybody else, too. If a pharmacist can stop a woman from getting her birth control, what's to stop him or her from refusing say, HIV treatments, or other drugs they may object to?

Just recently, a federal judge blocked Washington state's new rule requiring pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception. A trial is scheduled for next October, but until the issue is resolved pharmacists in the state are allowed to refuse to fill a woman's prescription. While they are required to refer the woman to another pharmacy, this still creates an undue hassle and could create big problems for women in rural areas. This is no solution.

Washington state Governor Chris Gregoire told the Seattle Times, "While this court decision weakens protections for victims of sexual assault, and interferes with a woman's right to choose, it also allows any patient to be denied their medication for no apparent reason."

Technorati tags: Megan Kelly, Pharmacist refusal, NCJW, Planned Parenthood Action Illinois,

STD rates on the rise

So, look, nobody really enjoys talking about sexually transmitted infections(STIs) - but rates in the U.S. are on the rise, and it's time we start talking about why. Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its annual Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance for 2006. The report shows that the number of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases nationwide has increased steadily over the past several years.

While much of the increase can be attributed to an increase in screening and reporting the numbers are still troublesome.

Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the two most common STIs in the U.S., and the 1,030,911 cases of chlamydia in 2006 are the highest ever recorded for any nationally reported disease in any year. Racial and ethnic minorities continue to be disproportionately affected by all of these STIs.

Illinois ranked 10th in cases of chlamydia, 11th in cases of gonorrhea, and 14th in cases of syphilis. This is not a list where we want to be near the top.

So what (besides increased screening) is going on here? Could it be, maybe, possibly, related to the failure of abstinence-only sex education to give young people the information and tools they need to protect themselves?

Studies have found that when they do become sexually active, teens who received abstinence-only education often fail to use condoms or other contraceptives. Eighty-eight percent of students who pledged virginity in middle school and high school still engage in premarital sex. The students who break this pledge are less likely to use contraception at first intercourse. You can read more here.

The rising rates of STDs also speak to the critical importance of helping more people get tested - which is another reason we're so glad our Aurora health center is now open and offering testing!

Technorati tags: Sexually transmitted infections, STI testing, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Sex education,

A Lesson on the Importance of Title X Funding

President Bush recently vetoed the largest increase in Title X family planning funding in 35 years. The Labor HHS Education Appropriations Bill passed Congress by a wide margin and would have included a $310.9 million appropriation for Title X.

You may think that increased funding for family planning services is a no-brainer if we want to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, but apparently there are still some folks out there who don't quite get it - our President, for one. Let's clear it up for him. In the name of enlightenment, let's take a minute to review the benefits and importance of the Title X program.

1. Title X prevents unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion.

According to the Guttmacher report from November of 2001, Title X has helped women prevent almost 20 million unintended pregnancies since 1980. Nine million of those 20 million pregnancies would have resulted in abortion.

2. Title X saves money.

Studies have shown that every public dollar spent providing family planning services saves an estimated three dollars that would otherwise be spent in Medicaid costs for pregnancy-related care and medical care for newborns.

3. Title X saves lives.

Title X funds provide preventive care and early detection of life threatening illnesses to millions of low-income and uninsured women who cannot otherwise afford it. For example research shows that providers funded by the program took an estimated 57.3 million Pap tests, resulting in the early detection of as many as 55,000 cases of cervical cancer over the course of two decades.

For more information, check out these sites:

Guttmacher Institute

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Office of Population Affairs, Dept. of Health and Human Services






Technorati tags: tagname, Title X, Planned Parenthood, family planning, Guttmacher Institute

Abstinence-Only Programs Ineffective

A recently released report, titled Emerging Answers 2007, shows that abstinence-only programs are ineffective. This follows a previous report (December 2004) by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) which found that more than two-thirds of the federally funded abstinence-only programs contain distorted and false information. As the evidence against abstinence-only programs continues to emerge, more people are starting to pay attention.

The 2007 study, done by Douglas Kirby, Ph.D., and The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, is the third in a series on sex education curricula. The report supports what health care providers like Planned Parenthood and youth organizations like the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health have been saying all along. We need to arm our teens with ALL of the necessary information in order for them to make good choices and protect themselves. That means information about prevention, contraception, responsible decision-making, and abstinence.

No one will argue that abstinence information has no value. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that abstaining from sex is a guaranteed way to avoid unintended pregnancies. We can argue (and now with good reason) that many teens do not choose to abstain from sex and therefore abstinence-only is too limited in scope. The information we provide our young people must be accurate, age-appropriate, and comprehensive. Anything less than that is potentially harmful, and quite frankly, a waste of time and money.

Speaking of money, more than $1 billion has already been wasted on abstinence-only programs over the past decade. The Bush administration continues to push these programs, despite the fact that they are ineffective - not to mention misleading and inaccurate. The silver lining to all of this is that the light bulb is finally coming on for some states (thanks in part to studies like these) and they are rejecting the federal funding for abstinence-only programs. Colorado recently became the 13th state to do so.

For some interesting facts you might not know about teen and unplanned pregnancy, check out this list from the National Campaign.

Technorati tags: tagname, Planned Parenthood, abstinence only programs, sex education

Update on birth control pricing

Thanks to people who took action around the country, Congressman Crowley (D-NY) introduced the Prevention through Affordable Access Bill (H.R. 4054), last week with 103 cosponsors! This important bill would fix the problem of skyrocketing birth control prices for college students and low-income women.

Now Senator Obama is circulating a dear colleague letter to prepare for introducing similar legislation in the Senate.

Please urge Senator Durbin to become a cosponsor of this legislation!

As you know from prior posts on this issue, on some college campuses, birth control has gone from $5 or $10 to $40 or $50 dollars because of an inadvertent act of Congress. Some college health centers have stopped providing birth control at all. This pricing affects over 3 million college students and 750,000 low-income women and is having a devastating impact on women and families nationwide.

Fixing this problem doesn't cost Congress or taxpayers a dime, but will allow university health centers and safety net providers to offer affordable birth control to women who need it.

Technorati tags: Barack Obama, Dick Durbin, affordable birth control, Planned Parenthood Action Illinois

A story in the New York Times (also discussed on the Feminist Law Professors blog) features a doctor named Susan Wicklund and her new book about experiences in reproductive health care and abortion services. With this book, called "This Common Secret: My Journey as an Abortion Doctor” (Public Affairs), Wicklund says she wants to promote open discussion about abortion.

Wicklund writes about the trials and tribulations of her 20-year career, her patients, and why her work is so rewarding. She also addresses policy around abortion and the impact on women. In response to restrictions on abortion, she had this to say:

“It’s so incredibly insulting. The 24-hour waiting period implies that women don’t think about it on their own and have to have the government forcing it on them. To me a lot of the abortion restrictions are about control of women, about power, and it’s insulting.”

All I'll say is that we're very fortunate to have compassionate and courageous doctors out there like Wicklund - someone who obviously understands the importance of access to reproductive health care and abortion services, and the way in which these services allow women to control their own futures.

Technorati tags: tagname, Planned Parenthood, abortion, Susan Wicklund

Pope urges pharmacists not to dispense EC

Taking the Vatican's stance against birth control one step further, last week the Pope urged Catholic pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception (EC) and other "immoral" drugs. Miss Weird Science has an excellent post about the Pope's announcement on her blog.

I'm going to avoid going into a long rant about all of my frustrations with the Pope's stance on this issue, but basically it's another thing to file in the "things that people against abortion do that make abortion MORE likely" folder. I mean, really - if you want to prevent unintended pregnancy (and therefore the likelihood that someone would get an abortion) what better way to do it than make birth control as accessible as possible?

Unfortunately, the Pope's stance also undermines a pharmacist's obligation to respect decisions that are made between a doctor and a patient. I would say that it's a pharmacist's moral duty NOT to force his or her personal morality on someone else, but to respect each patients' moral compass. A pharmacist is hired to be a pharmacist, not a judge.

There’s been considerable opposition to the Pope's statements within some primarily Catholic communities. Soon after the Pope made his announcement, Italian Health Minister, Livia Turco, denounced his call. "I don't think his warning to pharmacists to be conscientious objectors to the morning-after-pill should be taken into consideration," Turco said.

Also, the Chilean Government has warned that it will close pharmacies that refuse to sell emergency contraception. Chilean Health Minister Soledad Barria has said that pharmacies have no excuse for not selling the pill. You can read more about that story at the International Herald Tribune.

Technorati tags: birth control, Pope, Catholicism, emergency contraception, Planned Parenthood Action Illinois,

The Fox Guarding the Henhouse

It's mind-boggling (but unfortunately not surprising) that President Bush has done it again. Bush recently appointed anti-birth control hardliner Susan Orr (formerly a senior director for marriage and family care at the Family Research Council) to the position of acting deputy assistant secretary for population affairs. This position administers Title X, the nation's family planning program.

This appointment follows the egregious appointment of Eric Keroack, another anti-birth control hardliner, to the same position. Keroack was the medical director of A Woman's Concern, a nonprofit group that runs crisis pregnancy centers in Massachusetts. He resigned from the population affairs post in March.

With the Orr appointment, I find myself pondering the same question again. What is the logic here? The sad truth is that politics have trumped logic. The Bush administration is proving that it will continue to pursue it's anti-birth control agenda, despite data showing that 98% of women use some form of contraception during their lives, and despite the fact that Title X helps to prevent more than one million unintended pregnancies each year.

Having Orr in control of this program is not only foolish and inappropriate, it's flat-out dangerous for the women who rely on it for family planning and preventive health care services. If you're not convinced of that yet, let me leave you with these comments Orr made while at the Family Research Council in 2001. In response to the Bush administration's proposal to eliminate the contraceptive coverage requirement in federal employees' health insurance, Orr said, "We're quite pleased because fertility is not a disease. It's not a medical necessity that you have [contraception]."

I think a large percentage of the population would disagree with her. If you're one of them, SPEAK UP! You can make your voice heard by taking action here. Tell President Bush to stop playing politics with women's health.


Technorati tags: Susan Orr, birth control, Title X, Planned Parenthood