Plenty to Be Thankful For

At first I thought this piece was going to have to take up an address in Snark City. What innovations in reproductive and sexual health could we really be thankful for this holiday season - that the $27.8 million increase in abstinence-only funding the Democrats, in their cowardice, caved in to was counterbalanced by a $27.8 million increase in family planning funding? Or that the whole deal was for naught in the end, when President Bush vetoed the bill? Wow, this was going to be a fun post to write.

But it turns out our movement is doing better than I thought!  Just take a look at all the good news I was able to rustle up.

• People are cluing into the fact that abstinence-only education is unhelpful at best and harmful at worst.  When the non-partisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy discovers that abstinence-only education does nothing to delay initiation of sex, reduce the number of sexual partners, or return teens to abstinence, it's good news even if we don't examine the underlying assumption that teens should be deterred from sex.  And when Virginia becomes the fourteenth state to eliminate funding for abstinence-only programs in favor of education that hasn't been proven totally useless, we're on the crest of a new movement in favor of sexuality education that can reach teens in holistic, respectful discussion of sexuality and sexual health needs.

• As Cristina Page notes on Birthcontrolwatch.org, surprising new allies are joining the fight for widespread contraception access.  The Christian Century recently published a remarkable op-ed encouraging Christians to take a pragmatic approach to family planning, one measure that has been proven to decrease abortion rates. Catholics United, meanwhile, is organizing to call out Republican anti-choice members of Congress who oppose SCHIP bill, which would extend health insurance coverage to six million children whose families would otherwise be unable to afford health insurance. James Salt, Catholics United organizing director, explained, "Apparently, some members of Congress think their responsibility to protect life ends at birth. To build a true culture of life, our nation must be willing to stand with women and children. Passing this legislation is one clear way we can do this."

• Two front-running presidential candidates are co-sponsors of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would restore to American women the rights guaranteed in Roe as they were expressed in 1973 - without the steady erosion they've been subject to ever since - and create a federal law guaranteeing the right to an abortion, which would keep abortion legal even if Roe v. Wade were overturned.

• A redesigned female condom means a new birth control and STI prevention alternative that women might actually use.  While Version 2.0 still can't be used secretly - which is essential to many women who fear intimate partner violence when suggesting to their partners that the couple use protection during sex - the new female condom is significantly easier to use and more comfortable.

• Is this heartening or disturbing news?  The United Nations has been over-estimating the number of people infected with HIV worldwide - the new figures estimate six million fewer people are infected than was previously believed.  It's now thought that 33.2 million people are living with HIV.  New methodologies include more accurate sampling of rural populations as well as more accurate surveys in India and populous African countries.  In a few countries, including Kenya and Zimbabwe, the decreased estimate is also a result of behavior changes, like people having fewer sexual partners and said Dr. David Halperin, an expert on HIV infection rates.

• In a clear sign that GQ understands that all gender is performance, Cate Blanchett gets a nod as a GQ man of the year for her role as Bob Dylan in the new Dylan biopic, I'm Not There!

• We're grateful that the Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora was successfully able to open its doors and start providing much-needed reproductive health services to women in eastern Illinois!  On RealityCast, Scott Trombley, president of Planned Parenthood Chicago Action, reports back from the front lines.

• One more hurrah for the Midwest Teen Sex Show - a group of brilliant video-podcasters who take sex education into their own hands.  As can you, by submitting a video to RH Reality Check's Fresh Focus video contest!

And with that, I leave you to your turkeys, tofu or true.  RH Reality Check will next publish on Monday, November 26.  Enjoy your holidays!