Today, my mother and I were watching TV. A commercial for Valtrex came on – the medication that helps prevent the spread of genital herpes – and the commercial said that one in five American adults has genital herpes. Both my mother and I commented on how surprisingly high that was, so I looked it up. The commercial was right – 22% of American adults have herpes simplex type 2 and 49% of women aged 15 to 39 will have genital herpes by 2025 if these trends continue. I told my mom what I’d found and she made a comment about how people need to stop sleeping around.

What she said next shocked me. She told me I needed to protect myself by using two condoms! I pointed out that doubling up causes increased friction and makes them more likely to tear. (I aced my women’s health class this semester and this was one of the topics!) Her response: “Sometimes. You just need to use lube.” All my life I’d known that I was an accidental pregnancy. Today I found out that I’m here because my mom thinks doubling up condoms provides better protection against STDs and pregnancy.

This is exactly why we need comprehensive sex ed; if we leave it to parents to teach their children about safer sex, many parents will refuse to tell their children about it at all and even the parents that do talk to their kids may end up spreading misinformation, like my mother just did. Thankfully, I’ve done my own research and I recognized it as misinformation. Adolescents that aren’t as informed might not be so lucky. 

With comprehensive sex ed in schools, there is a structured curriculum that is fact-based and provides accurate information about ways to protect oneself. Students with access to comprehensive sex ed will be able to evaluate what their parents, friends, and the media tell them. They will be better able to recognize myths for what they are – misinformation. Just because parents mean well does not mean they know the facts. Giving teens access to comprehensive sex ed on top of what their parents and friends tell them is the best way to reduce the growing STD rates and prevent unintended pregnancies.

The Office of Student Affairs is starting a campaign to promote student groups and events this fall; they’re trying to get new students involved around campus. Part of this campaign is encouraging campus groups to do an event early in the fall semester and they’ll provide free advertising. I have a few ideas and I’m waiting for a response from the person in charge of the campaign (they have a few ideas for events and the groups that do those events could get funding, so I want to see if they have anything interesting in mind). I want to see what you think would be a successful first event of the year. Thanks for your input!

This was posted on a blog written by one of my political science classmates. I couldn’t just leave it there without a response:

Why I Voted Democrat

I voted Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever want. I’ve decided to marry my Dog…

I voted Democrat because I believe oil companies’ profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the
government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn’t…

I voted Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I voted Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it….

I voted Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they’re doing because they now think we’re good people.

I voted Democrat because I’m way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.

I voted Democrat because I believe that people who can’t tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don’t start driving a Prius…

I voted Democrat because I’m not concerned about the slaughter of million of babies so long as we keep
all death row inmates alive…

I voted Democrat because I believe that businesses should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as
they see fit.

I voted Democrat because I believe liberal judges need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters…

I voted Democrat because my head is so firmly planted up my ass that it is unlikely that I’ll ever have another point of view.

My response:

Why I Voted Conservative

I voted Conservative because I love the fact that the government can decide who is and isn’t good enough to get married. I have of course decided that I am good enough…

I voted Conservative because I believe that I have an inherent right to ruin the environment by driving my giant truck when I am not hauling anything…

I voted Conservative because I believe the government deserves to try and waste more money that it already has in Iraq.

I voted Conservative because I believe that my freedom of speech is more important than others’ right to live as they are without harassment…

I voted Conservative because when we let fear control our foreign policy we do awesome things like torture people…

I voted Conservative because I inherently believe that if I am unarmed I might catch the “gay”…

I voted Conservative because I believe that I would rather rely on superstition than facts to protect me from scientifically proven threats to our world’s future…

I voted Conservative because I believe that an egg should have the same rights as a person but that it is o.k. to kill innocent people in order to have revenge on others

I voted Conservative because I believe corporations should have the right to discriminate and cause suffering in the name of profit…

I voted Conservative because I believe conservative judges are necessary in order to impose their religious purity on to the heathens…

I voted Conservative because my head is so firmly planted up my ass that it is unlikely that I’ll ever have another point of view.

As of an hour ago, I’ve given out 96% of my big box of 500 condoms. Between the Gay-Straight Alliance and Campus Women’s Coalition events, tabling in the Union, and handing them out to people I know, we’d gotten down to about 150. The latest batch of 130 or so were handed out tonight at The Condom War: Battle of the Sexes.

At an earlier CWC event, an RA from Binnewies Hall asked our group to put together a safe sex program. We had some brainstorming sessions and came up with this Battle of the Sexes concept. With help from the internet, Paul Joannides’ Guide to Getting it On, and New Dimensions in Women’s Health from Linda Lewis Alexander, Judith H. Larosa, Helaine Bader, and Susan Garfield, we came up with 10 truths and myths about condoms. During the event, teams had cards with T for true and F for false on them. After discussing the statement, they would decide if it was true or false and flash the card with their answer. Right answers got a point and even if both teams got it right, we would still expand on the statement to make sure they knew why they answered correctly. Some statements were followed by activities to illustrate our point and teams that participated got bonus points.

I wrote out a script for the event and bolded especially important points. There were five people from CWC reading questions (and my boyfriend/lovely assistant, Michael, was keeping score), so we each took two questions. Depending on how comfortable with the subject the person was, they could read the script directly or just speak freely as long as they covered the important bolded facts and statistics. Other CWC members were also free to interject thoughts and facts if someone missed something. Here’s the script for the event:

The Condom War: Battle of the Sexes

1. Male condoms are 98.7% effective in protecting against pregnancy and STIs when used correctly.

True. Condoms protect against pregnancy and STIs, including AIDS and herpes. They must be used perfectly – that means every single time you have sex, put on the right way, using enough lube, etc. 98.7% effectiveness means that there is a 1.3% chance a woman will become pregnant after using condoms perfectly for a year. Even with imperfect use, male condoms are 85% effective.

Bag & water demonstration

2. Pulling out is an effective alternative to condoms.

False. With typical use, withdrawing is only 73% effective in preventing pregnancy. It requires a lot of control, discipline, and commitment to pull out before ejaculating every time a couple has sex. Even if a man pulls out in time, pregnancy can still happen. Pre-ejaculate, or pre-cum, can pick up sperm left in the urethra from a previous ejaculation and cause pregnancy. A man may also just barely pull out in time and still ejaculate on or near the vagina, which can result in pregnancy, too. Withdrawal is not effective against STIs, either, because there is no barrier to prevent herpes sores from rubbing against vulnerable skin or to prevent fluids from transferring other STIs.

3. If you’d be extra screwed, you should double up your condoms.

False. Using two male condoms together or a male condom with a female condom will cause the condoms to rub against each other, creating friction which makes them much more likely to break than a single condom alone. This is true for lubed and un-lubed condoms. Backing up condoms with hormonal birth control is a much smarter option.

4. If the condom breaks, you don’t have any options.

False. You can use emergency contraception, which is effective for up to 120 hours or 5 days after having unprotected sex. Plan B, one of the more common forms of EC pills, reduces your risk of pregnancy by 89% if taken in 5 days. In other words, if 100 women have completely unprotected sex one time during the second or third week of their monthly menstrual cycle, 8 of them will get pregnant. If those same 100 women use Plan B, only one will get pregnant. The sooner you take it, the better, so it’s a good idea to keep some at home in case you need it. You can get EC at Student Health, Lewis, and Walmart in Brookings; it’s only $25 at Student Health. If you have a pregnancy scare, you should go to Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls or to your doctor, not a Crisis Pregnancy Center. CPCs are not medical facilities and often give false or misleading information.

5. Some penises are too large to fit into a regular condom.

False. Condoms are made to stretch. Even if you think you need a magnum, a regular condom will work if you’re desperate because any condom is better than no condom at all. If you have an average or small penis, don’t buy magnums. You’re not impressing anyone. Condoms that are too large are more likely to fall off, which decreases effectiveness. That said, there are small differences between brands and types of condoms and you should try different kinds because you might find that some feel better or are more comfortable than others.

Arm demonstration

6. All college students can afford condoms.

True. Student Heath sells condoms for 25 cents a piece. If you want more variety, you can buy them in bulk at Walmart. They have 24 and 36 packs for $10-$15, or about 40 cents a piece. You can also get free condoms from us tonight! 7. If you’re allergic to latex, you can’t use condoms. False. There are non-latex condoms available. Trojan’s Supra line and Durex’s Avanti line are both made with polyurethane. They’re slightly more expensive and a little less elastic than latex condoms, but they can be stored longer and they can be used with oil-based lube, unlike latex condoms, which break down when used with oil. People with latex allergies can also use female condoms, which are generally non-latex as well. Female condoms are larger and wider than male condoms and they are inserted into the vagina or anus up to eight hours before sex. Female condoms have a flexible ring on the closed end to keep them in place and they cover more skin than male condoms, so they’re actually slightly better for preventing STIs. They are 95% effective with perfect use and 73% effective with typical use. I do not recommend using lambskin condoms as an alternative to latex condoms. They are made out of lamb intestines and have pores that make them much less effective in preventing STIs and pregnancy.

8. Not liking how condoms feel is not a legitimate excuse for not practicing safe sex.

True. You might not like how they feel, but an STI or unplanned pregnancy will feel worse. If you don’t like how they feel, you should try a different brand or add a fun, tingly lube – just make sure the lube is silicone or water-based if you’re using latex condoms. You can even work on eroticizing condoms by having your partner put the condom on you or try masturbating with a condom on.

9. Alcohol enhances sex.

False. Alcohol lowers inhibitions, which makes it mentally easier for some people to have sex, but it does not make it better or physically easier. Alcohol and other drugs – even some prescription medications – can cause anorgasmia, or the inability to have an orgasm, in women and men. Alcohol can also make it difficult to get an erection. Drunk sex is more likely to be unsafe sex, too. Young adults are about 10% less likely to use condoms when they’re drinking. Even if they do use condoms, they’re more likely to make a mistake when putting them on, which is part of the reason condoms are 98.7% effective with perfect use and only 85% effective with typical use.

Bananas & condom demonstration

10. Abstinence is 100% effective.

True. Sort of. Like all birth control methods, abstinence is only truly effective when used perfectly, which means no vaginal, anal, oral, or outercourse. You might consider yourself technically abstinent or technically a virgin if you’re messing around but not having penis-in-vagina sex, but you’re still putting yourself at risk for STIs and pregnancy. Being truly abstinent requires a lot of sacrifice. Even if you’re committed to staying completely abstinent, you should still have a supply of condoms and make sure you have access to EC and BC. Even if you don’t use them yourself, one of your friends might have an emergency and you could help them out.

_________________________________________________________________________

 

The three demonstrations/activities definitely added to the program. The first bag & water demonstration involved a volunteer (who got a bonus point) putting a garbage bag on while water was squirted at them – the point being that if you use a barrier, you won’t get “wet,” i.e., infected with an STI or impregnated.

The second demonstration involved a condom being stretched over my arm (we practiced in an earlier CWC meeting and it was difficult, so we decided to do it on a CWC member, not a volunteer). The point was that a regular-sized condom is better than no condom, even if you regularly use Magnums. Unfortunately, the first condom broke during the program. I had a good save, though – I pointed out that penises don’t have nails or knuckles, so even if a man did have a fist-sized penis it wouldn’t be as difficult to get on as it was to get on my hand. I tried again with a second condom and that one went on well. Catherine then blew into the condom on my arm and it stretched even bigger. The guys were getting a bit rowdy and tried to convince me that my hand was turning blue and that it would be way too uncomfortable to have a regular condom on a large penis for ten minutes of sex. I wasn’t taking any of their crap, so I told them I’d leave it on for 10 minutes. I did. The RA even timed me. My hand was fine at the end, except for a small indent on my wrist. They pointed this out and I just said that none of them had penises the size of my wrist, so they had nothing to worry about. One other CWC member even interjected a comment about it being like a cock ring, which people buy for pleasure and firmer erections.

The third (and most popular according to the surveys) demonstration was a drunken condom race. We had two condoms, two bananas, and two volunteers. We tried to get ‘drunk goggles’ from the campus police department, but they’re loaning them to someone across the state, so we just had the volunteers spin in circles until they were dizzy. They then had to race to get condoms properly on the bananas and the first one done right got a bonus point. The women got it – the man put his on upside down and barely started unrolling it by the time the woman was done.

Overall, the event turned out really, really well. The women won and the men still did pretty well. We got people to come by offering free condoms, drinks, and pizza, and we entertained them enough to stay. The survey results showed that most of them enjoyed it and learned something. The Binnewies Residence Hall Director even told us it was a good program. Hopefully, next year we can get the Residence Hall Association to fund these programs campus-wide. If they do, we do have to change the wording on question number 8 as it confused people and we have to get the drunk goggles. We’re also considering adding an STI Transmission activity and making pamphlets for people to take home later.

Hopefully, by tomorrow I will get rid of the rest of the condoms. In the evening, the big Catholic group on campus is having a huge anti-premarital-sex program. I’m planning on attending because it should be hilarious and I can stand outside the door handing out condoms and telling people the work afterward. Thankfully, the event isn’t until 7:30 and the Day of Silence breaking of the silence ceremony is at 6. I encourage everyone remember the Day of Silence tomorrow!

Way to go Iowa!  If you haven’t heard by now, our neighbor to the east has become the 3rd state in the country to legalize same sex marriage and acknowledge that all citizens deserve the right to the pursuit of happiness.

HOWEVER,

Boo to you, ND for supporting discrimination because some crotchety folks in the legislature don’t want to give anyone the idea that they support the gay “lifestyle choice.” 

Excuse me, but isn’t religion the ultimate lifestyle choice?  You don’t see these people taking away civil protection for people making that lifestyle choice.   Wonder why.

Via KELO:

Every year 25 women in South Dakota are diagnosed with cervical cancer and sadly each year nine lose their battle.  Just two years ago, the state began vaccinating girls between the ages of 11 and 18 for free. Last year, the state modified it so that only 12-year old girls could get it free of charge.
…
Out of pocket, the vaccine costs about $130 per dose and it takes three for it to be effective.

“Most insurance plans cover childhood immunizations, but they don’t cover this. Or if they do cover it, it’s applied to their deductible,” (Dr. Maria)Bell said.
…

Eliminating the funding would have freed up nearly $300,000 for the state’s budget. But  Bell says it’s hard to put a price on preventing cancer, one that’s tied to the sexually transmitted disease HPV.

UGH.  So tired of girls’/women’s health taking the brunt.  Only 12 year olds?  What if they miss the memo (or lack thereof)?! This vaccine is something that can literally save womens’ lives, and its access was cut to 1/8 of its initial impact.

I do give Rounds props for passing legislation back in 2007 to provide it to girls 11-18 for free.  But as far as KELO suggesting that Rounds did girls some big favor by giving up a $300k, please.   That’s whopping 0.4% of the whole 2010 SD Health Budget.

Thank goodness Dr. Bell’s was included in this story.  As always, she reminds the world that womens’ health is important and we should treat it as such.

Over spring break, some of us ventured down to Omaha for UNO’s Regional “No Limits” Conference. This year’s topic was “Feminisms, Environments and New Media.” We heard presentations on everything from women in science fiction tv to mentorship programs designed for young girls to why america is not ready to be pro-life.
Alisha presented her research (top 1st picture) on women in Student Government (bottom 1st picture)

We also had the chance to incorporate some creativity in a collage workshop. (top 2nd)  Melissa shows hers off (bottom 2nd)

Alisha made a friend at Ahmad’s Persian Cuisine (top 3rd). 

All in all a great time.  We’ll be back next year!

Via PP:

This week saw the passage of legislation to make birth control affordable again for millions of women who obtain contraceptives at community health centers and college clinics. The provision was included in the 2009 omnibus appropriations bill that passed the U.S. Senate late yesterday and the House of Representatives two weeks ago.

In 2005, Congress passed the Deficit Reduction Act, which tightened eligibility for nominally priced drugs. In doing so, Congress inadvertently cut off safety-net providers and every college and university health center from obtaining contraception at a low cost, and passing on those savings to their patients. As a result, women have been paying up to 10 times more each month for basic contraception.

“We applaud Congress for righting a wrong that has restricted access to basic but critical preventive health care services, and left millions of women at risk of unintended pregnancy,” said Sarah Stoesz, PPMNS President and CEO. “The passing of this legislation is a victory for women’s health and especially for women who have struggled to afford the rising costs of basic contraception in these tough economic times,” said Stoesz.

“These difficult economic times have particularly affected women struggling to pay for basic health care. With 14,000 Americans losing health coverage every day, access to basic health care — including affordable birth control — is more important than ever,” Stoesz said.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, women of childbearing age spend 68 percent more in out-of-pocket health care costs than men, in part because of reproductive health-related supplies and services.

President Barack Obama has been a strong supporter of this commonsense fix; as a senator, he sponsored legislation to restore access to affordable birth control.

Please take just a few moments to thank Senator Tim Johnson and Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin for their support of making birth control affordable once again.

CLICK HERE to say thanks!

Want a unique opportunity to look into the mind of a young conservative who still buys all that bullsh*t they are selling? I’ve mentioned in this blog before the outspoken young conservative who leads the Campus Republicans. Today he decided to post on facebook his next insightful column to be submitted to our campus paper. I’m hoping that my relationship with the editor can stop it from being printed or at least let us print a response.

This is the excerpt he posted on facebook:

Life is not fair. As much as we would like all aspects of the world to be fair in every sense, the reality is that the world is not fair, nor will it ever be. People in all walks of life have been blessed with various levels of skill, intelligence, talents, personalities and so on. We have a President and Congress now that feel everything in life needs to be distributed equally to create a government mandated, quasi-fairness. The reality is that no action of government can make everyone equal, because, by nature, none of us are the same. Everyone has strengths, and everyone has weaknesses, regardless of race, creed, color, gender, status, or any other “category” someone can be thrown under.

Splitting people into different categories and defining their issues for them does not work to better the country; it ignores the fact that everyone within these groups each has their own individual issues and strengths. Putting people into these groups (African-American, Latin-American, women, men, gay, straight, etc.) creates a culture of divisiveness, allowing an environment where one can claim they are victimized. Assumptions are made about a person’s beliefs and their issues based on the category they fit into, telling individuals they are victims based on their category’s particular injustices, rather than raising up these individuals as talented human beings, not just a target voting bloc.

Many of you will say I’m being insensitive to the plights of these certain groups of people. That I just don’t get it. Let me put it this way: we have all been screwed over in some way or another. We have all been discriminated against, to various extents. How many of you were cut from the basketball team because of small-town politics, because you didn’t have the right last name? How does it feel being left-handed in a right-hand dominated world? How did it feel when your friend got off with a warning but you were stuck with a $100 speeding ticket? Life’s not fair. Rather than feel sorry for ourselves and complain, capitalize on your individual strengths as a human being and be the best you can be, moving past the injustices of life.

We live in a more diverse world than is implied with all the labels we put on groups of people. Diversity should not be defined by the amount of people you hang around that are of different “classifications” than you. Diversity should be defined as interacting and relying upon people with different strengths than yourself, which in turn helps you cover for your weaknesses as well.

The best thing we can do is recognize each individual’s strengths and weaknesses and capitalize on those strengths, avoiding victimizing of particular groups of people. Categorizing people only divides us, rather than uniting us as Americans. We are each unique, which can be seen as unfair…but what are you going to do about it? Complain that you were given the genes you have and be an unhappy, despondent person…or will you take life by the horns and be the best person you can be with the talents you were endowed with? The choice is yours.

Once we move past classifying people and capitalize on our individual talents, that is the point where we will become a truly tolerant, colorblind, genderless society that sees people for who they are, not for what they aren’t.

Wait, there’s more!

Response from his first moronic friend:
Ward Connerly inspired?

The stupidty continues:
I agree. Everyone makes a big deal that we now have a black president. Why does we have to categorize him as black? Why can’t we say we elected the person America (myself not included) thought was best for the job? Yes, he is black. But why is that an issue at all? The democrats want to say, “look, we elected a black man to office!” Saying this makes them sound like the racists that they paint Republicans as.

Seriously you can’t make this shit up:

Ward Connerly inspired indeed, love it!

Yes, I know…that last comment admits to loving anything inspired by Ward Connerly.

There are about 6 or 7 more comments that are just as infuriating and also lack any useful insight into the endless number of problems with this article. I’m planning a full response, but I couldn’t let this stay up on facebook without a liberal comment injecting some reality.

My Response:

Wow,I think you missed your calling in life; the job of leading the KKK has already been taken…. o.k. that’s a little strong but seriously history called it wants its ideology back

Unfortunately your realists stance has failed to include the true reality of the world. These groups cannot pick themselves up by their bootstraps because society is systematically holding them back…that is why they need a little more help than your white male holiness needs in finding success…just saying.

The battle for reproductive rights is a never ending in one in South Dakota just like in the rest of America. The difference is that it happens at a whole different level here.  Although the South Dakota voters gave reproductive rights a huge boost in 2008 by defeating that dreaded draconian abortion ban, we have a lot of progress left to be made. 

 

The battle, for now, has moved to the pharmacy.  South Dakota law makers attempted to give us greater access to contraception with a law that would have required insurance companies to cover FDA approved contraception methods, thus ending the double standard where insurance companies cover Viagra but not hormonal birth control.  Of course, this bill was simply too progressive for our state. Despite a valiant effort by several progressive state senators, Senate Bill 132 died a slow painful death. 

 

So, low-income women will once again get no help affording the tools to help prevent unwanted pregnancies.  But wait, affording contraceptives is just one of the barriers the women of South Dakota face.   South Dakota also has one of those unfortunate conscious clauses that allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for hormonal birth control or emergency contraception.  

 

South Dakota Codified Law   36-11-70 reads: 

 

Refusal to dispense medication. No pharmacist may be required to dispense medication if there is reason to believe that the medication would be used to:

 

            (1)      Cause an abortion; or

 

            (2)      Destroy an unborn child as defined in subdivision 22-1-2(50A); or

 

            (3)      Cause the death of any person by means of an assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing.

 

    (50A)      “Unborn child,” an individual organism of the species homo sapiens from fertilization until live birth;

 

If these pharmacists understood that their own actions might actual cause those abortions they are trying to prevent, perhaps they would rethink.  Nevertheless, this is of course not how they think, because abortion is such a dirty word in South Dakota that contraceptives don’t prevent abortion they are themselves ABORTION.  

 

Well, I think it is time to battle this type of thought with a new strategy.  If I were a pharmacist my “conscience” and religion (which I would refer to as feminism just to make a point) would not permit me to fill prescriptions for Viagra while anyone still has the right to refuse to provide contraceptives.    I mean it really isn’t that much of an inconvenience to drive to the nearest pharmacy and get it from another pharmacist, right?

 

Reality Check:  Yeah, I realize that the language of the law is too specific to allow my new moral objection to certain libido enhancing prescriptions, that doesn’t mean I can’t hope for a new type of backlash.