An independent report released late last week further proves that President Bush's ideological "abstinence-only" programs do not work. The report, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found that students in abstinence-only programs are not more likely to abstain from sex or delay when they become sexually active.

Hmm...why does this not surprise anyone? Probably because this ideological, partisan legislation was bogus from the beginning. It has long been the case that good, quality, honest and accurate sex education is the best way to reduce unwanted pregnancies, reduce STDs, reduce abortion rates and empower young people to have self-respect.

NY Press: FINDING NEW YORK'S RENAISSANCE WOMAN. By Kari Milchman

In honor of the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood offers Five Ways to Prevent Abortion. In brief:

1. Make contraception more easily available.
2. Give young people a better teacher than experience.
3. Increase the involvement of men.
4. Create new birth control methods.
5. Make America friendlier to children.

And a list of Medical and Social Health Benefits Since Abortion Was Made Legal in the U.S.:

1. Roe v. Wade did not "invent" abortion.
2. Since Roe v. Wade, women have obtained abortions earlier in pregnancy when health risks to them are at the lowest.
3. Deaths from abortion declined dramatically during the past two decades.
4. Medically safe, legal abortion has had a profound impact on American women and their families.
5. The health and well-being of women and children suffer the most in states that have the most stringent anti-abortion laws.

Today marks the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade! While most of us were born after Roe v. Wade, its effect has been truly awe-inspiring for women and men alike. To honor this anniverary, we lay out the landmarks for sexual empowerment and equality.

- Define female sexuality in it's own right, not merely as the opposite of male sexuality. Female sexuality is not a black and white issue and we are just beginning to explore all of the wonderful nuances of women's sexual lives - what women want, what turns us on, what gives us pleasure, what do we want to see, hear, touch, explore and so on.

- Allow women to explore sexuality and decide for themselves what elements contribute to their own sexual evolution. Sexuality has historically been defined from the male perspective and much about sexuality is still thought of as inherently and exclusively male, thereby limiting women's options for sexual exploration.

- Create dialogue about the social context through which our sexuality is conditioned. "Nature vs. Nurture" aside, social conditioning rules much of our sexual behavior.

- Embrace sexuality as an evolving part of our entire life span. Before, throughout and after childbearing, women embody multitudes of what it means to be a sexual woman. Sexual desire does not end after a woman has children or turns forty.

- Give women the opportunity and choice to define themselves as sexual irrespective of their ability to live up to an unattainable image of fashion, wealth, and body. Women are pressured by unrealistic images of what it is supposed to mean to be a woman, which can constrict and constrain our ability to feel sexy and be sexual.

- Allow women the choice to be the object, or subject, or both, of sexual desire. Given an equal playing field, true sexual equality is rooted in choice and by personal definition - for men and women.

-Bridge the gap between the private and the public sexual spheres. Certain sexual experiences and worlds of possibility have been traditionally off limits to women in the public arena, but are paradoxically practiced by or fantasized about by many women in private. This contradiction impedes public dialogue and discourse for women about these sexual behaviors and restricts women’s experiences, exploration and expression.

To that end, female sexual exploration is confined to the private space, while men’s sexuality is publicly celebrated and exploited, thus maintaining the status quo unequal power dynamic.

- Send the message that an empowered sexuality improves the quality of women’s lives.

From Salon:

Dec. 14, 2006 | AIDS researchers in Africa have long observed that HIV spreads most quickly in areas where male circumcision is not common practice. Now, trials conducted by the National Institutes of Health in Uganda and Kenya confirm that circumcision can dramatically reduce a man's chance of contracting HIV through heterosexual sex. The trials followed nearly 8,000 men, half of whom underwent voluntary circumcision. Researchers were so floored by the preliminary results -- respectively, the circumcized Ugandan and Kenyan men were 53 and 48 percent less likely to become infected -- that they felt a moral obligation to put a halt to the study.

Responding to NIH's announcement of the findings today, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, suggested that male circumcision could have far-reaching effects on the disease's spread: "While the initial benefit will be fewer HIV infections in men, ultimately adult male circumcision could lead to fewer infections in women in those areas of the world where HIV is spread primarily through heterosexual intercourse." A previous study estimated that roughly 6 million HIV infections could be prevented in sub-Saharan Africa through male circumcision, according to the BBC.

So the conundrum on everyone's minds is: Should circumcision be encouraged in areas where unsafe sex and HIV run rampant? Some would see it as an ethical no-brainer. It may be that, culturally, widespread circumcision is more easily adopted in sub-Saharan Africa than sweeping safe-sex practices. There's also an argument for spreading the word about the newfound benefits of circumcision in the name of comprehensive and honest sex ed.

Plan B: Where's Yours?

After three years of delay, the FDA recently approved the emergency contraceptive Plan B® for over-the-counter sales for women age 18 and older. Plan B will arrive on drugstore shelves across the country this week. Let's ensure that all stores stock it.

Take action and tell national pharmacy chains to adopt a written public policy about stocking Plan B in all their pharmacies. It's one of the best ways we can maximize this safe and effective form of birth control's full potential to prevent unintended pregnancy. Click here to tell pharmacy chains to carry Plan B and take action!

The FDA has decided to allow EC to be sold over the counter to women 18 years and older. It's progress - it only took three years! - but must we still treat young women as complete idiots?

From the NY Times:

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 — The Food and Drug Administration today approved over-the-counter sales of the “morning-after” contraceptive pill to women 18 and older, resolving one of the most contentious issues in the agency’s 100-year history.

The drug, an emergency contraceptive called Plan B that is manufactured by Barr Laboratories, will be sold only in pharmacies and health clinics. To buy it, women will have to show proof of age. Girls under the age of 18 will still need a prescription to get the drug.

Acting F.D.A. Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach said in a memorandum released this morning that he had decided that 18 was the appropriate cut-off age for sales because pharmacies already restrict nicotine and cold medicines that way.

“This approach builds on well-established state and private-sector infrastructures to restrict certain products to consumers 18 and older,” Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach wrote.

A Quest for Better Sex Meets ‘Not Now, Dear’? From today's Science Times. Stupid headline. Several errors. And a psychiatrist who reveals he doesn't understand sex.

The Times has gone bonkers. Here they give a psychiatrist the latitude to make sweeping statements about the supposed gender differences between men's and women's sexuality. It's a case of the same old, same old - reinforcing the idea that men like sex better than women. Enough already with this myth. While men and women may differ in our approach to sex that does not mean that when it's good and equal we all desire it. Men are just made to believe that the more sex they have, the more manly they are while women are told that we don't need it to enjoy life.

We need to get serious about discussing the social context of sex rather than asserting that all biology is destiny. And we really need to stop medicalizing sexuality. What self-respecting man wants a perpetual erection?

Women need to be tuned in to what turns them on, what it feels like to be turned on and allow ourselves that god given right to enjoy it.

And, when was the last time you heard a woman say "Not Now, Dear?" Jeez.