Stand Up For Women's Health

Here are a few of the stories we’ve been paying attention to:

National:

• Breaking: the HPV vaccine does not make girls more sexually active: http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20111212/study-hpv-vaccine-doesnt-encourage-risky-sexual-activity
• USA Today asks: is the US’s high unintended pregnancy rate because women have…to many birth control options? http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/medical/womenshealth/story/2011-12-12/Too-much-information-Birth-control-choices-abound/51841138/1
• Health Care Reform has meant that 2.5 million young adults now have health insurance: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HEALTH_OVERHAUL_YOUNG_ADULTS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-12-14-03-01-01
• Newt Gingrich has pledged that he wants to see an anti-abortion amendment in the constitution: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/14/newt-gingrich-personhood-pledge_n_1149615.html
• Millions of Americans are victims of sexual assault: http://news.yahoo.com/millions-americans-victims-sexual-violence-cdc-210409613.html
• Jezebel profiles: what kind of woman has a second trimester abortion? http://jezebel.com/5868905/what-kind-of-woman-has-a-second-trimester-abortion
• There is a fantastic letter to the editor in the NY Times about why the military’s abortion restriction is awful: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/opinion/abortions-for-rape-victims.html

Plan B:

• More on the Plan B decision: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-12/mayor-bloomberg-says-he-disagrees-with-sebelius-on-plan-b-age-limits.html
• And Senators vowed to challenge the decision: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/plan-b-senators-vow-fight-health-human-services-decision-ban-morning-pill-pharmacy-shelves-article-1.991292
  NYTimes calls the Plan B decision politics beating science: http://loyalopposition.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/politics-beats-science-again/
  The restriction is on both two-step and one-step Plan B: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203518404577095290300069790.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5
• A Brooklyn Federal judge will not hold the FDA in contempt for the decision: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/fda-seeks-dismissal-of-legal-challenge-to-plan-b/2011/12/12/gIQAR6dyrO_story.html
• A NY Times Op Ed calls to free the FDA: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/opinion/free-the-fda.html?_r=2&ref=opinion
• RH Reality Check says that Obama has set the clock back 100 years: http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2011/12/13/vulnerable-women-and-contraception-d%C3%A9j%C3%A0-vu-all-over-again
• Unsurprisingly, there’s been backlash against the decision: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/14/plan-b-birth-control-morning-after-pill-obama_n_1148769.html
• Bilingual Weekly calls the continued restrictions too dangerous for Latinas: http://bwnews.us/2011/12/14/commentary-plan-b-restrictions-too-dangerous-for-latinas/
• 8 reasons why Obama should reverse the decision: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shawn-lawrence-otto/plan-b-obama-sebelius_b_1150739.html?ref=politics
• Gail Collins delves into what’s up with reproductive rights this holiday season: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/17/opinion/collins-an-early-holiday-hangover.html?_r=1

State News:

• More on Ohio’s possible abortion ban: http://www.whiotv.com/news/ap/legislative/foes-of-ohio-abortion-ban-at-1st-heartbeat-get-say/nFz3m/
• Which, if pursued, could mean hefty legal costs for the state: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/13/us-abortion-states-costs-idUSTRE7BC1SQ20111213
• South Dakota is still trying to defend their anti-abortion laws: thinkprogress.org/health/2011/12/13/388335/south-dakota-governor-asks-for-another-1-million-to-defend-anti-abortion-law-in-court/
• A new Wisconsin law would require women to confirm that their decision to get an abortion is  voluntary before going through with the procedure: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/abortion-bill-to-get-hearing-on-tuesday-rk3e373-135510798.html
• And Scott Walker has just removed funding for free cancer screenings for women in Wisconsin: http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/12/scott-walker-next-target-cancer-screenings-women