Read the week's best commentary from bloggers at Bustle, Feministing and more.
SEXUALITY EDUCATION:
"Fewer teens are getting formal sex ed, study finds," Natalia Lusinski, Bustle: "Many teens are getting less sex ed, at least in a formal setting, and many U.S. teens are not getting educated about sex at all," according to a study from the Guttmacher Institute, Lusinski writes. According to the study, the percentage of teenagers ages 15 to 19 "who said they received a formal education about birth control went down from 70 percent [in 2006-2010] to 60 percent [in 2011-2013] among females, and 61 percent to 55 percent among males" during the same period. Moreover, "in 2011-2013, 43 percent of adolescent females and 57 percent of adolescent males received no info on birth control before they first had sex," Lusinski writes. She also points to findings that show "one in five young women and one in three young men did not get sex ed instruction about birth control from other formal sources or their parents." Lusinski quotes Laura Lindberg -- a principal research scientist at Guttmacher and lead author on the study -- who said, "'Relying on parents alone to provide teens with necessary information about sex is inadequate ... Schools should provide medically accurate and comprehensive sex education, so teens have the information and skills they need to enjoy the best health possible.'" According to Lusinski, the study also found that "fewer female teens received formal sex ed on other sex-related topics," including how to say no to sex and education on sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDs. Despite these declines, the study did find "an increase in the amount of young women learning about birth control, from 22 percent to 28 percent," Lusinski writes. However, "the research discovered that teens in rural areas got even less sex ed," with teenagers in those regions "us[ing] contraceptives at lower rates than urban teens when first having sex" and such teens having "less access to sexual and reproductive health care services." Lusinski concludes by quoting Heather Boonstra, director of public policy at the Guttmacher Institute, who said teenagers could continue to improve their contraceptive use if "'they were receiving quality sex education from a range of sources. Providing age-appropriate information about sexual and reproductive health to teens is smart and essential'" (Lusinski, Bustle, 4/15).
RELIGIOUS REFUSALS:
"To the corporations and entertainers boycotting states with anti-LGBT legislation," Katie Barnes, Feministing: Barnes discusses the recent backlash against states that have passed anti-LGBTQ legislation, noting that while she appreciates the many corporations and celebrities who "are taking a stand and boycotting these states, with a particular focus on North Carolina ... boycotting is not the most impactful way to stand against hate." She writes, "You can, and should, do more." Barnes notes, "There is something easy about pledging not to spend money in states we see as 'backwards' and not worth our time, and that is especially true with LGBTQ issues where we have a narrative that we grow up and 'escape' our rural homes and move to the cities on the east or west coasts." However, "People shouldn't have to leave their homes in order to find acceptance and not live in fear," Barnes writes. Barnes acknowledges that "[b]oycotts can work," pointing out how the governor of Georgia recently vetoed a discriminatory bill following "the threat of a massive economic boycott." However, boycotts "cannot be the only response on this issue," she continues, citing a boycott over Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (SEA 101) that resulted in financial losses but still has not engendered any "state-wide protections for LGBTQ people" a year later. Barnes explains that "the threat (or reality) of economic consequences often fails to move legislators because no matter the size of the storm, invariably it will pass as the media moves on to new controversies." Instead, she urges LGBTQ-rights supporters to "inves[t] in local change-makers," noting that "you have to invest in local communities doing the work" in order "to [e]ffect lasting change." In particular, Barnes calls on LGBTQ-rights supporters to donate to "under-resourced" LGBTQ organizations "in southern, midwestern, and western states." She concludes, "While walking away might seem like a show of solidarity, all I see is your back" (Barnes, Feministing, 4/18).
What others are saying about religious refusals:
~ "SCOTUS for law students: The Supreme Court's contraceptive-mandate cases," Stephen Wermiel, SCOTUSblog.
MENSTRUATION:
"Male lawmaker explains why you don't have to get a period to care about repealing the tampon tax," Tara Culp-Ressler, Center for American Progress' "ThinkProgress": Noting that a group of Michigan lawmakers is seeking to "repeal the sales tax on feminine hygiene products," Culp-Ressler highlights a Facebook post in which Michigan Sen. David Knezek (D) explains "why, as a man, he feels so passionately about supporting this legislative issue." In the post, Knezek writes, "'I wasn't elected to represent just the men in my district. I was elected to represent the women, too.'" Further, acknowledging that he will "'never know what it's like to have a period,'" Knezek notes that he "'listen[s] to the women who do.'" He continues, "'[Women] tell me this issue of unfair taxation is a problem for them. They tell me it disproportionately affects low income women. So, I try to do something about it.'" In addition, Culp-Ressler notes that "Knezek also called out the stigma that's so often associated with women's menstrual products." Referencing Knezek's comments in his post, Culp-Ressler writes, "[W]hen he started talking about periods on the Senate floor, the words felt a little strange coming out of his mouth." Nonetheless, Knezek in his post writes, "'I hope, if anything, this might start to remove the taboo that surrounds talking about these things and having these very important conversations.'" According to Culp-Ressler, the "'tampon tax' has come under increased scrutiny in recent months as women have started to file lawsuits against state laws that they refer to as 'a vestige of another era.'" She explains, "They argue it's unfair to tax products that aren't optional for women, particularly because it introduces a financial barrier for low-income women who may struggle to afford the sanitary products they need each month." Culp-Ressler points to other repeal efforts in New York (AB 7651) and California and concludes by noting that President Obama "is another man who stands in solidarity with women fighting against taxing tampons" (Culp-Ressler, "ThinkProgress," Center for American Progress, 4/16).
ANTIABORTION-RIGHTS MOVEMENT:
"Say it again: The anti-choice movement hurts people," Rebecca Griffin, Huffington Post blogs: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's comments calling for the punishment of women who obtain abortion care "actually did us a favor by laying bare the true agenda of the anti-choice movement," Griffin writes. She explains that abortion-rights opponents "are angry that Trump said this out loud because they know punishing women isn't an attractive message and they've tried to downplay it." Griffin points to Rewire's Jodi Jacobson, who outlined the antiabortion-rights movement's efforts to criminalize abortion care by passing incremental restrictions, medically unfounded requirements and "'laws making self-induced abortion a crime.'" As a result, according to Jacobson, when women "'in desperation ... go to any length to end an unintended pregnancy, legislators punish them further by making them criminals and putting them into jail.'" Griffin explains, "Punishment is the logical response when you are referring to a medical procedure as murder." Further, explaining the link between misleading antiabortion-rights rhetoric and violence against abortion providers, Griffin writes, "It's no coincidence that the year that brought us the deceptive videos targeting Planned Parenthood came with a huge increase in violence and threats against abortion providers." She cites Slate's Nora Caplan-Bricker, who wrote about the National Abortion Federation's latest report on antiabortion-rights violence. According to the Caplan-Bricker, "'The report details an increase in threats made to providers -- from a single threat in 2014 to 94 in 2015 -- and a jump in online hate speech, from 91 documented cases in 2014 to 25,839 in 2015.'" In addition, according to the report,"'[t]he number of clinic blockades nearly doubled from 2014 to 2015,'" while "'incidents of picketing at facilities ... increased from 5,402 in 2014 to a record-breaking 21,715 incidents in 2015,'" Caplan-Bricker wrote. Griffin concludes, "The anti-choice movement can try to rebrand as a ... group trying to help women, but they can't hide the consequences of their actions" (Griffin, Huffington Post, 4/18).
