Besides the immediate and long term consequences, the direct medical cost of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States is about $17 billion annually.1
Reference:
Chesson HW, Gift TL, Owusu-Edusei K, Tao G, Johnson AP, Kent CK. A brief review of the estimated economic burden of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States: Inflation-adjusted updates of previously published cost studies. Sex Transm Dis 2011; 38(10): 889-891.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Associated factors in sexual risk taking; parental involvement important.
| Associated factors in sexual risk taking; parental involvement important. |
Initiation of sexual risk taking and activity in adolescents can be preceded by certain associated factors. Some factors have been identified to be predictive of adolescent transition from being sexually abstinent to engaging in risky sexual activity like oral sex and sexual intercourse.1 A number of youth engage in oral sex as a gateway to sexual intercourse. Oral sex is sex. Moreover, like all other forms of risky sexual activity, it is strongly associated with transmitting and contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Recent studies have shown the increasing incidence of oral cancers are associated with oral sexual activity and acquisition of HPV infection.2 A recent study was conducted to evaluate the best predictors for sexual transition among adolescents. The study examined factors associated with transitions from abstinence to oral sex experience and oral sex to intercourse, as well as factors associated with abstinence to sexual intercourse. In addition, it examines whether or not there are transition links between male and females due to societal pressures.1 The study participants were adolescents aged 13 to 16 from eight regional high schools. A sample of 343 students completed a baseline assessment and 300 students completed both parts of the survey. The survey collected information on the students’ age, family structure, and different measures for self-esteem,parental involvement, drug usage, academic success and association with deviant peers. This survey response was from predominantly white females with a mean age of 14.8 years as well as a mean household of about 4.3 members. At the baseline survey, 235 of the participants reported no sexual experience but at the second survey point 34 participants had engaged in sexual behavior since the baseline. The researchers found that boys who engage in intimate sexual behavior by the second survey period reported much lower self-esteem and lower religiosity compared to those who did not. Higher alcohol usage and high self-esteem were strong predictors for a girl’s transition to higher sexual activity by the second survey. The link between self-esteem and sexual transitions may warrant future research, especially in boys. From the study on the transitions it is apparent that there is a dichotomy between psychosocial profiles of boys and girls. However, lower religiosity was found to be linked with greater sexual experience in both boys and girls.
References:
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Monday, August 22, 2011
Judge: North Carolina Must Fund Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz
by Steven Ertelt | Charlotte, NC | LifeNews.com | 8/22/11 11:00 AM
A federal judge has ruled that North Carolina must fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business while it moves forward with the lawsuit it filed against the state over a decision by state lawmakers to revoke its taxpayer funding in the state budget.In North Carolina, the state legislature approved a measure to remove federal funds from the pro-abortion organization in its state budget. The abortion business receives $434,000 through state family planning programs aimed at reducing teen pregnancies and providing birth control. Although the money can only be used for non-abortion services, the same organization is also the nation’s largest abortion business — doing more than 330,000 annually and comprising more than one-quarter of all abortions in the United States annually.
U.S. District Court Judge James Beaty heard arguments from both sides in Winston Salem earlier this month and, on Friday, he ordered North Carolina to honor its contract with Planned Parenthood pending the outcome of the lawsuit. Beaty issued a preliminary injunction siding with the abortion giant in its demand to receive $212,000 of the funds.
Beaty said health department Secretary Lanier Cansler must renew the funding, writing, “The court expects defendant Cansler to follow all applicable state and federal laws and regulations” and warning that “further proceedings would be appropriate” is the state doesn’t comply. The state had a contract in place for 2011-2012 that he ruled it must honor.
Beaty also said in his ruling that the decision to de-fund Planned Parenthood wrongly contravened federal law authorizing funding for the abortion business via the federal family planning program and he said the budget provision wrongly singled out a specific organization for de-funding.
Colm issued a statement saying the abortion business is “deeply grateful that the court has stopped the state from enforcing the ban prohibiting Planned Parenthood from” getting taxpayer funding.
The abortion giant has already sued the states of Kansas and Indiana for adopting new legislation to revoke the taxpayer financing from the group that has been shown to be the biggest abortion business in the country, to cover up cases of sexual abuse, and to assist sex traffickers in getting abortions for the girls on whom they prey.
Barbara Holt, the president of North Carolina Right to Life, supported the move to revoke taxpayer financing.
“Planned Parenthood is the single largest abortion provider in the nation and our tax dollars should not go to organizations who are in the business of killing unborn children,” stated Holt. “97.6% of the services Planned Parenthood reports as involving pregnant women are abortion services.”
Gov. Bev Perdue vetoed the state budget in part because of the Planned Parenthood de-funding but the state legislature overrode the veto.
After the state House voted to override the veto, House Speaker Thom Tillis said “We think we’ve done something historic on several different levels” according to the Greensboro News-Record. Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, also a Republican, told the newspaper the state Senate would follow suit today and it did just that.
Republicans hold 31 seats in the 50-seat state Senate and that proved to be more than enough for the override.
Following the vote, the Planned Parenthood abortion business criticized state legislators because the budget provision “would effectively end state and federal funding for Planned Parenthood.”
An April poll conducted by the Polling Company and WomanTrend reveals a majority of Americans, 54 percent, oppose giving tax dollars for family planning services to organizations that perform abortions. The poll also shows the intensity of this position, with 43 percent “strongly” opposing any federal funds going to abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood, while just 20 percent “strongly” support federal funds going to abortion businesses.
Kellyanne Conway, the president of the Polling Company firm said the support for de-funding Planned Parenthood crosses lines on the abortion debate.
“Even 26 percent of pro-choice adherents rejected diverting taxpayer dollars for family planning organizations that provide abortions,” Conway said. “Some Americans may have positive attitudes toward Planned Parenthood, but may also reject the underlying premise that federal funding for family planning organizations should be fungible for abortions.”
Breaking down the results further, the poll found 82 percent of those who say they are pro-life responded yes when asked, “Do you support or oppose tax dollars for family planning services going to organizations that perform abortions?” Another 26 percent of people who say they are “pro-choice” on abortion agreed. Some 12 percent of pro-life people support funding Planned Parenthood while 70 percent of those “pro-choice” do.
The poll also found women opposed funding Planned Parenthood on a 51-40 percent margin, Hispanics opposed funding 47-45 percent, blacks opposed funding 62-26 percent, independents opposed funding 52-36, while 18-34 year-old respondents opposed Planned Parenthood funding on a 54-38 percent margin. People living in the South opposed funding the most.
In other states, Indiana approved a law de-funding Planned Parenthood, and New Hampshire Planned Parenthood centers may close after the state revoked a $1.8 million grant. Montana Planned Parenthood is also grappling with funding cuts and one county in Tennessee de-funded Planned Parenthood. Kansas is fighting to keep its de-funding decision in place.
Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin is making cuts after the abortion business lost $1 million in taxpayer funding there. Ohio lawmakers also filed a new bill to shift funding from Planned Parenthood to health departments. Planned Parenthood could lose as much as $64 million in Texas.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Cohabitation Linked to Unstable Families
Special Report - August 17, 2011
Children today are more likely to spend time in a cohabiting household and to suffer a myriad of negative lifetime effects as a result, than they are to experience the divorce of their parents, according to a new report released Wednesday by a team of family scholars from some of the nation’s leading educational institutions. The report, “Why Marriage Matters: 30 Conclusions from the Social Sciences (Third Edition),” is the long-awaited comprehensive summary of the latest research pointing to the importance of marriage to child wellbeing. Co-sponsored by the Center for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values and by the National Marriage Project (NMP) at the University of Virginia, the report is written by a team of 18 scholars chaired by W. Bradford Wilcox, director of the NMP.
The report’s major finding is that cohabitation, which it notes has increased 14-fold since 1970, has replaced divorce as the main contributor to the rising rates of family instability in the United States. In fact, by the age of 12, more children today will spend time in a cohabiting family than will experience the divorce of their parents (see figure 2 from report). While a decrease in parental divorce is certainly a good thing, the increasing rates of cohabitation, particularly for children, is not, because, as the report points out, “cohabitation is not the functional equivalent of marriage.”
“In a striking turn of events, the divorce rate for married couples with children has returned almost to the levels we saw before the divorce revolution kicked in during the 1970s. Nevertheless, family instability is on the rise for American children as a whole,” explains Professor Wilcox in a press release. “This seems in part to be because more couples are having children in cohabiting unions, which are very unstable. This report also indicates that children in cohabiting households are more likely to suffer from a range of emotional and social problems—drug use, depression, and dropping out of high school—compared to children in intact, married families.”
Among the key findings in report regarding cohabitation:
- About 24 percent of all children are born to cohabiting parents, which the report notes is more than the percentage of children born to single mothers.
- An additional 20 percent of children will spend some time in a cohabiting household with an unrelated adult (often because of the divorce of their parents), meaning that “more than four in 10 children are exposed to a cohabiting relationship.”
- Cohabiting parents with children are more likely to break up before the child turns 12 than married parents with children (see figure 5 from the report).
The report describes the “rise in cohabiting households” as “the largely unrecognized threat to the quality and stability of children’s lives in today’s families.” It details the latest research on cohabitation, which shows that compared to children raised in intact, married families, children in cohabiting families “do significantly worse” on several social, educational and psychological outcomes; and that children in cohabiting households are also significantly more likely to suffer from physical, emotional and sexual abuse than children in either intact married families or single parent families (see figure 3 from report);
Finally, the report includes the following three conclusions that echo the previous findings from the 2002 and 2005 editions of “Why Marriage Matters”:
- “The intact biological, married family remains the gold standard for family life in the United States.
- Marriage is an important public good, associated with a range of economic, health, educational, and safety benefits that help local, state, and federal governments serve the common good.
- The benefits of marriage extend to poor, working-class, and minority communities, despite the fact that marriage has weakened in these communities in the last four decades.”
“This important report shows why the North Carolina statutes against cohabitation are needed,” said Alysse ElHage, associate director of research for the North Carolina Family Policy Council. “The State is correct in recognizing and supporting marriage as the only domestic union that should be recognized. An intact family unit with a married mother and a father is the best place to raise children, and we are pleased that North Carolina law supports this reality.”
Related resources:
Census Report Examines Cohabitation - November 9, 2010
Marriage Beats Cohabitation - March 5, 2010
Most Children Live With Parents - July 27, 2010
Characteristics of Cohabiting Adults Studied - July 16, 2009
Report Analyzes Cohabitation Effects - June 23, 2008
How Cohabitation Undermines Marriage and the Family - Findings - June 2005
Copyright © 2011. North Carolina Family Policy Council. All rights reserved.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Abortion Has Caused 300K Breast Cancer Deaths Since Roe
by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 1/17/11 4:44 PM
A leading breast cancer researcher says abortion has caused at least 300,000 cases of breast cancer causing a woman’s death since the Supreme Court allowed virtually unlimited abortion in its 1973 case.
Professor Joel Brind, an endocrinologist at Baruch College in New York, worked with several scientists on a 1996 paper published in the Journal of Epidemiol Community Health showing a “30% greater chance of developing breast cancer” for women who have induced abortions. He recently commented on how many women have become victims.
“If we take the overall risk of breast cancer among women to be about 10% (not counting abortion), and raise it by 30%, we get 13% lifetime risk,” Brind explains. Using the 50 million abortions since Roe v. Wade figure, we get 1.5 million excess cases of breast cancer. At an average mortality of 20% since 1973, that would mean that legal abortion has resulted in some 300,000 additional deaths due to breast cancer since Roe v. Wade.”
Brind said his estimate excludes deaths from the use of abortion to delay first full term pregnancies – a recognized breast cancer risk.
Karen Malec, the head of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer, a public awareness group, says the number of studies showing the abortion-breast cancer link continues to grow in the years since Brind’s groundbreaking 1996 analysis of the major studies at that time.
“During the last 21 months, four epidemiological studies and one review reported an abortion-breast cancer link,” she noted. “One study included National Cancer Institute branch chief Louise Brinton as co-author. We count nearly 50 published epidemiological studies since 1957 reporting a link. Biological and experimental studies also support it.”
“Experts proved in medical journals that nearly all of the roughly 20 studies denying the link are seriously flawed (fraudulent). Like the tobacco-cancer cover-up, these are used to snow women into believing abortion is safe,” Malec added.
Surgeons like Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey who has extensively explained how abortion increases the breast cancer risk, have seen first-hand how abortion hurts women.
In 2002, Angela Lanfranchi, MD testified under oath in a California lawsuit against Planned Parenthood that she had private conversations with leading experts who agreed abortion raises breast cancer risk, but they refused to discuss it publicly, saying it was “too political.”
As the co-director of the Sanofi-aventis Breast Care Program at the Steeplechase Cancer Center, Lanfranchi has treated countless women facing a breast cancer diagnosis. Lanfranchi was named a 2010 Castle Connolly NY Metro Area “Top Doc” in breast surgery.
In an article she wrote for the medical journal Linacre Quarterly, Lanfranchi talks about why abortion presents women problems and increases their breast cancer risk:
Induced abortion boosts breast cancer risk because it stops the normal physiological changes in the breast that occur during a full term pregnancy and that lower a mother’s breast cancer risk. A woman who has a full term pregnancy at 20 has a 90% lower risk of breast cancer than a woman who waits until age 30.
Breast tissue after puberty and before a term pregnancy is immature and cancer-vulnerable. Seventy five percent of this tissue is Type 1 lobules where ductal cancers start and 25 percent is Type 2 lobules where lobular cancers start. Ductal cancers account for 85% of all breast cancers while lobular cancers account for 12-15% of breast cancers.
As soon as a woman conceives, the embryo secretes human chorionic gonadotrophin or hCG, the hormone we check for in pregnancy tests.
HCG causes the mother’s ovaries to increase the levels of estrogen and progesterone in her body resulting in a doubling of the amount of breast tissue she has; in effect, she then has more Type 1 and 2 lobules where cancers start.
After mid pregnancy at 20 weeks, the fetus/placenta makes hPL, another hormone that starts maturing her breast tissue so that it can make milk. It is only after 32 weeks that she has made enough of the mature Type 4 lobules that are cancer resistant so that she lowers her risk of breast cancer.
Induced abortion before 32 weeks leaves the mother’s breast with more vulnerable tissue for cancer to start. It is also why any premature birth before 32 weeks, not just induced abortion, increases or doubles breast cancer risk.
By the end of her pregnancy, 85% of her breast tissue is cancer resistant. Each pregnancy thereafter decreases her risk a further 10%.
A woman can use this information to make an informed decision about her pregnancy. If she chooses to abort her pregnancy for whatever reason, she should start breast screening about 8-10 years later so that if she does develop a cancer, it can be found early and treated early for a better outcomes.
text4baby Contest!
Text4baby is a free health text messaging service that provides information and resources for pregnant and new mothers. The text4baby program just launched the Summer Sign-Up Contest, an opportunity to spread the word about the important text4baby effort.
The top 20 contestants who enroll the most women in the text4baby service between now and September 10th will win a year’s supply of baby products and a special gift, courtesy of text4baby’s Founding Sponsor, Johnson & Johnson. To participate in the Contest, visit www.text4baby.org.
Want to Be on TV?
The Bill Cunningham Show premieres this fall on TV stations nationwide; the 60-minute talk show will be topically driven. The show is currently putting together a show on teen pregnancy and seeks teen girls who were recently pregnant or who are trying to get pregnant and who are willing to appear on national television. If you know anyone who might be interested in sharing their story, please send an email to nyctalkguest@gmail.com. Please visit www.thebillcunninghamshow.com for more information.
The High Cost of Unintended Pregnancy
A new research brief from the Brookings Institution's Adam Thomas and Emily Monea details the high costs of unintended pregnancy. Among their findings:
- Taxpayers spend about $12 billion annually on publicly financed medical care for women who experience unintended pregnancies and on infants who were conceived unintentionally.
- Taxpayers could save an estimated $6 billion if all unintended pregnancies could be prevented.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
North Carolina House Approves Choose Life License Plates
by Steven Ertelt | Charlotte, NC | LifeNews.com | 6/8/11 11:20 AM
The North Carolina state House yesterday approved legislation to allow motorists in the Tar Heel State to purchase Choose Life license plates to adorn their vehicles and spread a pro-life, pro-adoption message.The House voted 70-44 to authorize dozens of new specialty plates, including the Choose Life plate, that require an extra $25 fee to purchase — with $15 going to pregnancy centers that provide women with abortion alternatives for each plate sold in the state.
According to an AP report, Carteret County Republican Rep. Pat McElraft told legislators the plates will raise money for Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship and “save some babies lives.” However, some Democrats opposed the measure because they didn’t want licence plates becoming a forum for debate on abortion.
Last year, Bobbie Meyer, the state director of Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship, told LifeNews: “North Carolina is the only state in the southeast that refuses to let its citizens purchase the choose life license plate. For eight years the legislation for the choose life plate has been denied a vote even though more than 130 other plates have been approved.”
“The choose life license plate has already raised over 12 million dollars in the states that allow them thereby helping mothers and their families,” she added. “Here in NC there are 85 pregnancy care centers who last year saw over 46,000 women and children.”
Despite popular support for the plate, Planned Parenthood officials strongly oppose it.
“These license plates are specialty plates that bear an anti-choice message,” the group said an email LifeNews.com obtained asking its members to urge legislators to vote no.
Planned Parenthood complained that the funds from the plate will go to pregnancy centers that provide women with real choices and tangible help in an unplanned pregnancy. As the abortion business claimed, the centers “promise comprehensive medical advice and services but deliver anti-choice propaganda.” Planned Parenthood also complained it would be ineligible to receive funds because it does abortions while the plate’s goals are to promote adoption and helping women in crisis pregnancies.
The approval of the Choose Life plate comes after significant hard work from pro-life groups in the state, including North Carolina Right to Life and North Carolina Pro-Life Democrats.
The Tar Heel State is home to over 100 specialized license plates promoting everything from Save the Sea Turtle to NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. The Choose Life tag was tied up in the Transportation Committee for five years and now, residents may be closer to having tags available.
Ultimately, the Choose Life plates across the nation have raised over $8.7 million and over 400,000 plates have been sold or renewed in the 17 states that currently have the plate available.
NC Right to Life, the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Charlotte and Raleigh, NC Baptist Association, Russ Amerling, National Director of Choose Life license plates, The Family Policy Council of NC, Civitas NC, The Christian Action League, and NC Pro-Life Democrats all support the plates. There are currently 80 pregnancy centers across the Tar Heel State that served more than 46,000 women, men and families last year.
Brevard graphic artist Deborah Vernon Scott designed the proposed North Carolina plate, which depicts mountains and waves separated by two children’s faces on a yellow background. The phrase “Choose Life” is emblazoned in red at top.
ACTION: Tell your legislators to support the plate by going to http://www.ncga.state.nc.us
Option Line
Option Line
What can friends do?It’s nerve-racking to figure out the right thing to do or to say when your friend is facing an unplanned pregnancy. But the most meaningful way you can support her is simply to be there.
- Listen.
- Keep calm.
- Suggest help.
Let your friend speak when she wants, and calmly listen. She will be grateful for an open ear as she processes her emotions and the difficult choices ahead of her.
You, however, might rapidly feel overwhelmed if you’re her only resource. The Option Line is available any time, day or night. They offer free, caring and confidential help and can quickly connect your friend to the local assistance she needs.
It’s nerve-racking to figure out the right thing to do or to say when your friend is facing an unplanned pregnancy. But the most meaningful way you can support her is simply to be there.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Divine Disconnect: Should Faith Leaders Be Talking to Their Congregations About Sex?
May 16 2011
Last month, the Guttmacher Institute released a report (PDF) showing that contraceptive use among religious women is in fact a norm and that three-quarters of never-married women are sexually experience by their early twenties, regardless of religious affiliation. Some other key findings included the following:
- Among all women who have had sex, 99% have ever used a contraceptive method other than natural family planning. This figure is virtually the same among Catholic women (98%).
- Only 2% of Catholic women rely on natural family planning; this is true even among Catholic women who attend church once a month or more.
- Among never-married adolescent women, 42% have ever had sex. While levels of sexual experience vary somewhat across the three main religious groups, these differences are not statistically significant.
- Among never-married young adult women, 79% are sexually experienced. Evangelicals are less likely than Catholics or Mainline Protestants to have ever had sex (75% vs. 89% and 86%, respectively).
This study once again highlights the disconnect between traditional religious teachings and beliefs and an individual's actual behavior. Not only is the proportion of religious, never-been-married women with sexual experience very similar to the proportion of the overall population, but these women are also using contraception regardless of whether or not their religion accepts it. This implies that the topics of contraception and sexuality should not be excluded from religious settings and conversations.
The question about the role of religious institutions and faith leaders when it comes to this issue has been the subject of much discussion, for example in a Washington Post op-ed written last month by The National Campaign's CEO Sarah Brown. Should faith leaders be a primary source of this type of information for their congregation? How do they make that decision when many Church hierarchies continue to denounce the use of contraception other than natural family planning? There is also the problem that many faith leaders are unaware of what proportion of their congregation that's unmarried is sexually active, since that type of discussion is typically not encouraged in a faith setting. Because of this, when reports like this one are released with statistics showing high rates of sexual activity and contraceptive use among religious women, some faith leaders assume that this must not be the case in their church simply since they don't hear about it. So the question is, how do we go about getting faith leaders and religious institutions to connect the dots and realize that what statistics are showing probably represents the young people who are sitting right in front of them?
A recent article in Neue magazine (link below) features several stories about why it is critical for religious organizations to start addressing unplanned pregnancies, abortion, and family planning. It also touches upon the shame factor that goes along with being a sexually active yet religious young adult and often deters these young people from seeking needed advice or counsel from their faith leaders. Particularly for this reason, faith leaders should strive to create a welcoming environment that encourages members of the congregation to feel comfortable addressing topics typically stigmatized in religious settings. A great example of this, featured in the article, is Pastor Dharius Daniels of Kingdom Church in Ewing, NJ. Pastor Daniels has begun offering "Ask Me Anything" forums, where youth and young adults can come and literally ask him any question they have--most of which, he says, so far have been sex-related. He talks about how this has been an eye-opening experience for him and has really allowed him to get into his congregation's heads and helped him to better address their needs.
I think this effort to close the divide between one's own perceptions and what statistics are showing is critical in making progress in this area. Faith leaders are in a position with incredible influence and by encouraging open conversations and increasing the trust that exists in the leader-congregation relationship, they can help many youth and young adults get the information they want and need. To read more examples of what members of the faith community are saying and what you could do to help, check out the Neue article for yourself: "True Love Isn't Waiting."
Posted by: Sara Major
1776 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036
ph: (202) 478-8507. fax: (202) 478-8588. CFC #10496
The Public Costs of Unplanned Pregnancy
The Public Costs of Unplanned Pregnancy
Unplanned pregnancy costs taxpayers approximately $11 billion each year, according to two new studies from the Guttmacher Institute and Brookings Institution. Additional new research provides the first-ever state-by-state estimates of unintended pregnancy. Among the headlines:
- Preventing unplanned pregnancy would yield substantial taxpayer savings. As Adam Thomas and Emily Monea of Brookings conclude, “The prevention of unintended pregnancy represents an important opportunity for the public to reap substantial savings, especially given the current fiscal climate. The enactment or expansion of cost-effective policies to prevent unintended pregnancies is therefore a timely and sensible strategy.”
- Fully 64% of births resulting from unplanned pregnancies were publicly funded in 2006---compared with 48% of all births and 35% of births resulting from intended pregnancies.
- At least 38% of pregnancies are unintended in all 50 states---more than half are unintended in 29 states and D.C.
- The media state unintended pregnancy rate was 51 per 1,000 women aged 15-44.
1776 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036
ph: (202) 478-8507. fax: (202) 478-8588. CFC #10496
Choose Life Plate To Get House Vote
Choose Life Plate To Get House Vote
Copyright © 2011. North Carolina Family Policy Council. All rights reserved.
Special Report - June 3, 2011
On Thursday, the House Finance Committee passed HB 289—Authorize Various Special Plates, a bill that would give approval to a number of new specialty license plates for North Carolina drivers, including a long awaited “Choose Life” plate. The measure will now receive a vote on the House floor. Should HB 289 become law, North Carolina drivers would finally have the opportunity to purchase a “Choose Life” specialty license plate and help raise money for the state’s Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRCs), organizations that provide services and support for women considering alternatives to abortion. Under the measure, part of the proceeds from the sale of each “Choose Life” plate will be directed to the Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship, a nonprofit group charged with distributing the funds to the state’s Pregnancy Resource Centers.
In the Finance Committee, after primary bill sponsor Rep. Mitch Gillespie (R-McDowell) offered a brief explanation of the measure, the debate quickly focused on the inclusion of the “Choose Life” plate, which has been proposed for authorization for nearly a decade. Rep. Paul Luebke (D-Orange) offered an amendment, which sought to place restrictions on use of funds gained by the “Choose Life” plate, proposing that they only be directed to organizations that provide counseling for “all legal options,” including abortion. Rep. Gillespie urged committee members to vote down the amendment, adding that, as the bill’s sponsor, he would not allow the bill to proceed if such an amendment were adopted. After lengthy debate, Rep. Luebke’s amendment failed by a vote of 12-16.
Rep. Kelly Alexander (D-Mecklenburg) then proposed an amendment, which would have added another specialty plate to the bill, with part of the proceeds from the sale of the plate to be directed to Planned Parenthood. Some committee members voiced support for the change, arguing that it was only fair that both sides of the abortion debate be represented. As we previously reported, this amendment, which was also proposed during consideration in the House Transportation Committee in May, was rejected by a vote of 14-15.
An additional amendment, proposed by Rep. Deborah Ross (D-Wake) sought to increase state regulation of the PRCs, which typically operate on a small budget, relying heavily on volunteers. That amendment also failed. The vote was 11-16. Ultimately, the House Finance committee passed the un-amended version of HB 289 by a vote of 17-13. It will now go to the House floor for consideration there.Copyright © 2011. North Carolina Family Policy Council. All rights reserved.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Fast Fact- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Untreated gonorrhea and chlamydia can result in pelvic inflammatory disease in women, a condition that can cause infertility. Each year, STDs cause at least 24,000 women in the U.S. to become infertile. Check your risk for STDs at www.stdwizard.org.
Reference:
CDC. 2009 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Surveillance. Trends in Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the United States: 2009 National Data for Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and Syphilis. Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats09/trends.htm.
STD wizard
Remember that you need to visit a healthcare provider for all your health needs. Information based on 2006 sexually transmitted disease (STD) risk assessment and screening guidelines, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC is the nation's top health agency.
http://www.stdwizard.org/HB 854-Woman's Right to Know
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Thursday, May 19, 2011
Teens Say Parents Most Influence Their Decisions About Sex
Teen Birth Rate Hits Record Low
New Survey: Teens Say Parents Most Influence Their Decisions About Sex
Survey Also Reveals One-Third of Teens Believe Birth Control Doesn’t Work
Press Release
For Immediate Release
December 21, 2010
Contact: Bill Albert, 202-478-8510/balbert@thenc.org
(Washington, DC) --- The teen birth rate in the United States declined 6% in 2009 and is now at a record low, according to new data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. Rates declined among older and younger teens and among all racial and ethnic groups. For example, the birth rate among Hispanic teens declined 10% in 2009 and is now at a record low.
“Good news just in time for the holidays – a steep decline in teen births,” said Sarah Brown, CEO of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. “It is now apparent that the increase in the teen birth rate noted in 2007 and 2008 was only a hiccup – a blip – in the longer term, two-decade decline in teen births. We now are, thankfully, back on track. The credit and praise goes to teens themselves for making better decisions about their lives today and their plans for the future.”
Brown continued, “Still, The Grinch among us recognizes that what goes down can go back up again. Even when the news is good, it is essential that parents, practitioners, policymakers, and really anyone who cares about teenagers remember that the U.S. still has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and births among comparable countries and that we all need to continue helping teens postpone their families until they are older, through school, and in stable, committed relationships.”
A new public opinion survey released today by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy provides some important context for the new birth data. Two of the toplines from With One Voice 2010, a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,008 young people (aged 12-19) and 1,000 adults (age 20 and older), are:
- Teens (46%) say parents most influence their decisions about sex. By comparison, only 20% say friends most influence their decisions.
- Although 78% of teens say they have all the information they need to avoid an unplanned pregnancy, one-third (34%) agree “it doesn’t matter whether you use birth control or not, when it is your time to get pregnant, it will happen,” and half (49%) admit that they know “little or nothing” about condoms and how to use them.
Other findings from the survey of teens and adults include:
Parents
- Eight in ten teens (80%) say that it would be much easier for teens to delay sexual activity and avoid teen pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest conversations about these topics with their parents.
- Six in ten teens (63%) agree that the primary reason teens don’t use contraception is because they are afraid that their parents will find out.
Sex Education
- Many teens (46%) and most adults (73%) wish young people were getting more information about both abstinence and contraception rather than either/or. By comparison, 18% of teens say they want more information about birth control and 9% want more information about abstinence. The overwhelming majority of teens (87%) and adults (93%) also agree it is important for teens to be given a strong message that they should not have sex until they are at least out of high school.
Teen Pregnancy, Education, and Religion
- About nine in ten teens (91% of girls and 87% of boys) and two-thirds of adults (66%) say that teen pregnancy is a “very important” problem in the United States and nearly all adults (89%) believe there should be a direct effort in their community to prevent teen pregnancy.
- About nine in ten teens (87%) and adults (90%) believe reducing teen pregnancy is a very effective way to reduce the high school dropout rate and improve academic achievement.
- Most teens (73%) and adults (70%) believe religious leaders and faith groups should be doing more to help prevent teen pregnancy.
Media
- Among those teens who have watched MTV’s 16 and Pregnant, 82% think the show helps teens better understand the challenges of teen pregnancy and parenthood and how to avoid it.
- More broadly, most teens (79% of girls and 67% of boys) agree with the statement: “When a TV show or character I like deals with teen pregnancy, it makes me think more about my own risk of becoming pregnant/causing a pregnancy and how to avoid it.”
Sex, Regret, Relationships, and Sexting
- Among those teens who have had sex, most (65% of girls and 57% of boys) say they wish they had waited longer.
- Most teens (93% of girls and 88% of boys) say they would rather have a boyfriend/girlfriend and not have sex than have sex but not have a boyfriend or girlfriend.
- Most teens (71%) agree that sharing nude or semi-nude images of themselves or other teens electronically through cell phones, websites, and/or social media networks leads to more sex in real life.
About the survey and The National Campaign. Click here to read the survey in its entirety, including the wording of the polling questions and the exact methodology; click here for a fact sheet on the new teen birth rate data. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy seeks to improve the lives and future prospects of children and families. Our specific strategy is to prevent teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy among single, young adults. We support a combination of responsible values and behavior by both men and women and responsible policies in both the public and private sectors.
North Carolina Choose Life License Plates
Dear North Carolina Choose Life supporters,
The efforts are still underway. Please keep praying and take the action suggested at the end of the article.
http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/10/north-carolina-panel-holds-hearing-on-choose-life-plates/
North Carolina Panel Holds Hearing on Choose Life Plates
by Steven Ertelt | Charlotte, NC | LifeNews.com | 5/10/11 4:04 PM
North Carolina would join more than two dozen states that currently have Choose Life license plates if the state legislature approves a bill the House Transportation Committee held a hearing on today.
The plates are designed to allow state residents to support adoption and crisis pregnancy programs to help women find better solutions than abortion. The Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship, a collection of pro-life groups, is behind the plate.
During the debate, Rep. Diane Parfitt, a Fayetteville Democrat, attempted to get a “Trust Women, Respect Choice” plate added to the list that would send money to the Planned Parenthood abortion business, but that was voted down.
“This is, I think, an appropriate counter-balance to the ‘Choose Life’ plate,’” Parfitt said, according to the newspaper. But Gillespie and other legislators voted that down on a 14-11 vote.
The committee ultimately did not cast a final vote on the bill, which also has to clear the Finance Committee before it can receive a vote on the House floor.
Last year, Bobbie Meyer, the state director of Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship, told LifeNews: “North Carolina is the only state in the southeast that refuses to let its citizens purchase the choose life license plate. For eight years the legislation for the choose life plate has been denied a vote even though more than 130 other plates have been approved.”
“The choose life license plate has already raised over 12 million dollars in the states that allow them thereby helping mothers and their families,” she added. “Here in NC there are 85 pregnancy care centers who last year saw over 46,000 women and children.”
NC Right to Life, the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Charlotte and Raleigh, NC Baptist Association, Russ Amerling, National Director of Choose Life license plates, The Family Policy Council of NC, Civitas NC, The Christian Action League, and NC Pro-Life Democrats all support the plates. There are currently 80 pregnancy centers across the Tar Heel State that served more than 46,000 women, men and families last year.
Brevard graphic artist Deborah Vernon Scott designed the proposed North Carolina plate, which depicts mountains and waves separated by two children’s faces on a yellow background. The phrase “Choose Life” is emblazoned in red at top.
ACTION: Tell your legislators to support the plate by going to http://www.ncga.state.nc.us
You can help support Choose Life by purchasing some of the products in our Product Store.
Respectfully,
Russ & Jill Amerling
National Publicity Coordinators
Choose Life, Inc
PO Box 830152
Ocala, FL 34483-0152
Phone: 352 624-2854
Email: russ@choose-life.org
Toll Free Fax: 866 850-8572
Web: http://www.choose-life.org
Toll Free Phone: 877 454-1203
Friday, March 11, 2011
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