Proposal to limit abortion rejected - The Tennessean: "A proposed constitutional amendment that could have allowed new limits on abortions in Tennessee was killed on Tuesday by a state House subcommittee, the fourth time the Republican-backed proposal has been defeated in the legislature."
Florida Marlins recruit tubby male cheerleaders for Manatees squad - NY Daily News: "The Florida Marlins are looking for some footloose fat men. The National League team is creating an all-male, plus-size cheerleading squad to be dubbed the Manatees." (File under: not funny)
Deviance in the Time of Abstinence - RHRealityCheck.org: "'...I wouldn't mind having a conversation that does not include the words dildo, fisting, squirting, orgasm, vibrator, latex, fucking, shibari, or three-way,' writes Brian Alexander at the end of his latest book, America Unzipped: In Search of Sex and Satisfaction."
Many sex ed teachers may lack training - Yahoo! News: "A sizable minority of sex education teachers does not cover all of the basics, and many lack training to teach sex ed at all, a survey of teachers in one state suggests."
Belmont Abbey College removes contraceptive services from faculty health care plan - Gaston Gazette: "Birth control was once available to Belmont Abbey College faculty under its previous health care policy. Contraception, abortion and voluntary sterilization came off that policy in December after a faculty member discovered that coverage, according to an e-mail Belmont Abbey College President Bill Thierfelder sent to school staff, students, alumni and friends of the college and obtained by The Gazette."
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I'm horrified but not surprised about the undertrained sex educators. I used to work in a Boys & Girls club that offered a sex ed class, and the woman who was picked to teach it (seemingly at random) couldn't pronounce "urethra," didn't know what it was, and actually told a group of 10-13 year olds that they could suffocate to death if they masturbated too much. And no, she wasn't talking about auto-erotic asphyxiation, because I asked her for clarification immediately. I argued with her in front of the class so they could hear an adult refuting the incorrect information. I also went to the program director and was able to get her restricted to teaching only what was in the book, but I wish she had been replaced.
So, until I read the fifth article I didn't even realize there were states that had laws in place requiring insurance companies to cover contraception as part of their prescription drug programs (I'm out of it, apparently). As my insurance does not cover contraceptives of any type, this inspired me to look up the laws in my own state (California). And what do you know, my insurance company is breaking the law. I also found a lot of sites pointing out that you have to actually challenge these policies before they get changed (despite the fact that the legislation was passed in 1999) since there aren't a lot of companies taking it upon themselves to do so on their own. Does anyone out there, more knowledgeable than I, have any advice on how I should proceed from here?
Just FYI, the 5th Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals just overruled a Texas statute that allowed the sale of sex toys. It just happened on February 12, 2008. The case name is Reliable Consultants Inc. v. PHE Inc. (2008 WL 383034).
This is great news and could have major implications for other states in the South that have statutes outlawing the sale and use of sex toys.
kemp- If you are looking to litigate, this might be the guy you need. He helps the good guys sue when there are wrongs that need to be righted. You know, for fun.
When it came to discussing condoms and birth control, teachers who omitted the topic generally did so because it was not in the official curriculum or because of "school or district policy."
Yeah, why should they train sex ed teachers properly? Then they'd have to talk about sex--and sex is bad. Oh so icky and bad.
And then there's the douche who harassed me and my six year-old in a wheelchair at the Metro...saying he was sick because God was punishing America for allowing abortions. Asshole.
A little off topic but not entirely out to lunch:
There is a poll in the Globe & Mail that wants to know if Dr. Morgentaler deserves to be given the Order of Canada (a very important recognition of dedication to Canadians). The poll is here but unfortunately there are a large number of No's voting in the poll:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/v5/content/poll/static/nationalPoll.html
This man is the reason women in Canada have safe and legal access to abortions. This national news paper tends to attract an older cross-section of the public, most of whom are very right wing.
Please help us sway the poll!