| South Dakota Passes Bill to Ban Abortion |
| On March 6, 2006, South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds (R) signed House Bill 1215, banning all abortions in the state with only a narrow exception for procedures to prevent the death of the mother. Purposefully written to challenge the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade , this ... |
| Two State Boards of Education Attempt to Limit Students’ Access to Information |
| In both Texas and Kansas , state boards of education have taken steps to limit students' access to information about sexual and reproductive health. Both boards have long been embroiled in these types of controversies.
Kansas
Breaking an earlier deadlock, the Kansas State Board of Education passed a policy recommending that ... |
| UNAIDS Program on Prevention: The More Education, the Less HIV |
| Widespread education efforts are needed to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and begin the process of changing both individual behaviors to reduce risk and the social environment to reduce vulnerability. In the countries hardest hit by the AIDS pandemic, however, AIDS is undermining education as teachers fall sick, families can no ... |
| UNGASS +5 Review Meeting Provides Forum for Youth Voices |
| From May 31 through June 2, 2006, the United Nations General Assembly will convene for the UNGASS +5 Review Meeting at the UN Secretariat in New York . Official country reports are already being submitted, and advocates worldwide are preparing to hold governments accountable to the promises they made in ... |
| FDA to Review Ban on Blood Donations by Gay Men |
| The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that it is considering revising its policy banning blood donation by any man who has had sex with another man since 1977. The reconsideration stems from recommendations by the American Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks, and America's Blood Centers.
The ... |
| EC Roundup: A Trio of Recent Developments |
| The beginning of 2006 has already added several installments in the over-two-year saga to compel the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make a decision concerning over-the-counter availability of emergency contraception (EC). In the judiciary, a federal judge ruled that FDA officials must testify in a lawsuit. In the legislature, ... |
| After Reexamination, Kelso, WA Decides Against Abstinence-Only |
| The Kelso, WA school board began reviewing its sexuality and HIV/AIDS education policy more than a year ago and decided in March 2006 that students deserved more comprehensive information about both abstinence and contraception. Kelso School Board President, Mike Hass announced, “this is the continuation of the direction we set ... |
| LGBT Health Website Censored After Complaints from the Radical Right |
| On January 21, a website containing information about substance abuse and mental health issues among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people was pulled from the larger Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website. SAMHSA took down the site only eleven days after the far right organization, the ... |
