The Illinois Caucus For Adolescent Health (Icah) Is An

Roughly half of the pregnancies each year in the United States are unplanned and twenty percent of those are terminated. For years the various religious and anti-abortion organizations protested abortion due to the unsafe procedures that could result in maternal death. Once proven that abortions were not more harmful than childbirth, those same organizations started protesting abortions for the safety of the fetus (Barry, 2012). The court case, Roe v. Wade, made all types of abortions: elective and therapeutic legal, and also ruled that the father’s rights do not need to be discussed if an abortion were to occur (Purvis, 2015). This case is continually debated in social and educational instances, but when one learns which rights abortion is under, it shows that abortion is a fundamental right (McBride, 2016). By ruling that the father’s rights should not be mentioned, this was the start of men’s voices being

Master of Professional Health Debra Hauser states that sexual education is an essential part of the development and growth of teenagers. In her article “Youth Health and Rights in Sex Education”, MPH Hauser provides a report of teenage pregnancies and STDs incidences, which points out that each year in the United States, about 750,000 teens become pregnant, with up to 82 percent of those pregnancies being unintended. Young people ages 15-24 account for 25 percent of all new HIV infections in the U.S (Hauser). According to Hauser, “sex education teaches young people the skills they need to protect themselves”, such as the ability to recognize patterns of a toxic relationships, learning to value and have control over their bodies, understanding

This program health alert would help promote a lot of positive change, in the different communities at large, of course programs that will reduce young people's risk of infections, help prolong sexual contact, decrease the consistency of intimacy, decrease the amount of partners, and increase the use of protection (Hollander, 2012). It is a need for education about sex to be taught in every school. Health alert is working with the schools in the community at large to assure these programs are correctly implemented. Teens may receive some education about sex, diseases, and abstinence in some grades in school, but many students receive none. A lot of young people such as youth who are not in school receive almost none or not enough education.

As a way to strengthen my skills as a community organizers and activist, I attended a volunteer training event hosted by Planned Parenthood for those interested in fighting for reproductive rights on a political level. I and 13 other volunteers met to learn about Planned Parenthood’s community organizing tactics and some of the success gained from past collaborations. We learned how community organizing, as seen during the 2013 filibuster against the Texas abortion bill, can make a big enough impact to influence those not involved in the movement to join. After our discussion, we all took turns to share our experiences with community organizing and how it influenced us to be involved with the women’s reproductive rights efforts. Lastly the

Unfortunately, many young people face barriers preventing them from accessing recommended and necessary sexual health services. Stigma, discrimination, lack of knowledge, cost, transportation, and perceived lack of confidentiality all pose substantial obstacles to the services capable of providing the healthcare and education needed to help prevent STIs and other issues such as unwanted pregnancies. This paper aims to investigate a current piece of legislation addressing this issue, the Youth Access to Sexual Health Services Act (YASHSA) of 2016 (H.R. 4475, S. 3360, 2016). In 2016 Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC-12) introduced this bill and if enacted, the YASHSA would provide grants to specific qualifying entities to increase and improve access and pathways for marginalized youth to obtain their sexual and reproductive health care services.

"Approximately four million teens get a sexually transmitted disease every year" (Scripps 1). Today’s numbers of sexually active teens differ greatly from that of just a few years ago. Which in return, projects that not only the risk of being infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) has risen, but the actual numbers of those infected rise each year as well. These changes have not gone unnoticed. In fact have produced adaptations as to how society educates its young adults about sex, using special programs, various advertising, and regulating sexual education courses in public schools. One major adaptation is the advancement and availability of

In her article “OP-ED: Warning: These States May Be Harmful To Your Health” (2014), Yamani Hernandez expresses her distress over the health laws in the states of Alabama, Missouri and Illinois that makes it tougher for teens to acquire medical assistants for abortion services. Hernandez supports her claim by providing examples of laws that are already in place and elaborating why it is making it harder for these teens. Her purpose is to warn readers about the growing issues that is creating lack of resources for teen sexual health in order to encourage better health care options that meets the need for teens rather than political. Hernandez’s tone is apprehensive for an educated audience that wants everyone to be able to have proper health

For my final project, after spending a great deal of time considering my options, I have chosen to revolve my art piece and written response around Planned Parenthood, and the history of both the repression and violent attacks against the creator, staff, and those who use it as a resource. I chose to do an art piece because I feel that art is a respectful way to state your opinion, without having to worry about the backlash or having the way you feel, be silenced. My art piece is a drawing of a typical office of a Planned Parenthood office, and I have layered it with satirical comments and metaphors throughout.

I think it is safe to say that no two words elicit more feelings of concern, anxiety, and anger in parents, and stirs up more controversy and debate than the words “sexual education”. This especially true with the implementation of the new, revised sexual education curriculum in Ontario schools. Consequently, this controversy has strongly divided individuals, families, and organizations between those who approved of and those who opposed and protested against school-based programs that providee sexual health education to children. But why so much opposition? This is due to the significant changes made to the sexual education curriculum and the sensitive nature of the topics being taught to children regarding sexuality as a whole, changes which are seen as both radical and “even more explicit and more age-inappropriate than before…” (“Ontario’s Radical,” n.d.).

We have all heard the stories about the rise in teenage pregnancies, girls dropping out of school to care for their newborns, and even those who get pregnant on purpose. This new trend is everywhere. Most parents fail to have the “talk” with their children and are left without the proper education regarding sex until its too late. With the current rates of teenage pregnancy correlated with the current rates of spreading epidemics of STD’s and HIV/AIDS, steps should be taken in an effort to aid the situation. Schools are a main source of information and education for teens, and are in a unique position that can provide adolescents with knowledgeable skills and understanding that promote sexual health. With consistent speculation surrounding

Studies show that the national average for an adolescent’s first sexual intercourse encounter is seventeen years old. Despite this number being very close to the average age in other industrialized countries, the United States holds a higher percentage of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) contraction than those countries (Harper et al, 2010, p. 125). It’s becoming evident that while a majority of the nation’s youth is sexually active, they are not doing so with the appropriate knowledge to keep themselves and others healthy.

It informs teenagers on human sexuality, sexual and reproductive health, and human rights, including: sexual anatomy and physiology; reproduction, contraception, pregnancy and childbirth; sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS; family life and interpersonal relationships; culture and sexuality; human rights empowerment, non-discrimination, equality and gender roles; sexual behaviour and sexual diversity; and sexual abuse, gender-based violence and harmful practices. Furthermore, it fosters positive attitudes towards sexuality that is crucial to self-esteem, human rights, and gender equality. This enables them to think critically, communicate effectively, and make better decisions.

In 2010 the federal government developed the first comprehensive sexual education state grant program. The Family and Youth Service Bureau started a program called the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) through which states can apply for a $250,000 yearly grant to provide education for youth on both abstinence and contraception. This program targets children 10-19 who are at social disadvantage and provides prenatal care and assistance to teenage mothers. PREP emphasizes healthy relationships, body positive development, diversity, financial literacy, communication skills and life skills. In 2014, PREP served over 94,000 youth in America. This one of a kind program may be a pivotal point in revolutionizing sex education in America.

Becoming educated about sexuality and achieving optimal sexual health and well-being should be lifelong developmental process that begins at an early age and continues throughout the lifespan. Although parents should be the initial educators for their children, children also absorb messages about sexuality from many of media sources. This can potentially leave a confusing and potentially negative perception about the expectations and reality of sex. To combat such misperceptions, school systems and other community-based associations are essential. Such programs should be utilized, along side parental advocacy, to provide ayoung people correct and developmentally appropriate comprehensive sex education.

According to NATIONAL SURVEY OF TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS ON HIV/AIDS, “There are more than 1.1 million people in the United States living with HIV today, more than at any time in the history of the epidemic. Young people account for two in five new infections in the U.S., and minorities and gay men have been disproportionately affected. To better understand the views of young people in the U.S. on HIV/AIDS at this critical juncture in the epidemic, the Kaiser Family Foundation contracted with the research firm GfK in the fall of 2012 to conduct a national survey of 1,437 teens and young adults ages 15 through 24.( Kaiser Family Foundation 2012)” Nowadays, the age of maturity starts at an early age. From that point, they enter a world full of sexual desires that is apart of being human. This is why it is important for the parent(s) to be