At last! A judge ordered the FDA to allow the morning after pill, Plan B, to be available over the counter!
Hurrah!
Plan B is not my favorite pill to take, because it can be crampy and make you cranky, but seriously, the drug is as safe as anything and it’s important to have access to it.
Yay for sensibility taking over. No need to have be legislating sexual morality.
Exciting new development on the Plan B front! It seems that New York City is going to pioneer this badass new program in which girls as young as 14 will have access to over the counter emergency contraception from school nurses.
They have so far been sneaky about revealing plans and testing out the pilot program, but if it goes well I think it’s going to be an amazing start to a future where the kids who really need it get access to the birth control they really need! (Birth control in the non-emergency form will be/has also been made available).
All ye non-believers out there: I have argued again and again that kids are having sex anyway – the availability isn’t going to make them have more sex. It’s just going to make it easier to do it safely. Hurrah!
Kathleen Sebelius, the Health and Human Services Secretary, and I haven’t always been on the best of terms. I was appalled when she overode the FDA recommendations on Emergency Contraception. I’m pretty sure a Health and Human Services secretary had never publicly overruled what the FDA suggested, and this was just bollocks. It’s great that EC is available now in the pharmacy without a prescription (what a hassle it was back when we needed to go to Planned Parenthood to get one. Lord am I glad I will never have to go that again. UGH). But given the fact that EC was found no more harmful than something like acetaminophen, and that can be found right next to the cough drops and bandaids, why can’t the EC be right there next to them!?! Bring on the access!
Anyway, I digress. Today is the day Kathleen Sebelius and I get to be on good terms. She gets to let us all know that something kick ass happened in the world of birth control. No more co-pays for birth control! Thanks, Obama! Of course it’s not all magic and sunshine (only private plans are effected, it may take a while to kick in, it won’t work if you are on medicaid, if you work for a religious organization you are still fucked – not in the good way, etc.) But it still is a great day in terms of moving towards something good. Progress is progress!
But you’ve just gotta love this photo of Kathleen Sebelius with her poster “Simply Being a Woman is No Longer a Preexisting Condition.”
That’s just the sort of talk that makes me feel okay about the world for a minute.
Because seriously not having babies is a key aspect to being able to enjoy sex to the fullest.
And access to birth control is crucial to not having babies. Didn’t Dan Savage once say the worst STD is an unplanned pregnancy? Did I imagine that?
Anyway, go forth and do it and get all not knocked up. Hurrah!
Planned Parenthood rarely endorses a candidate, but they just endorsed Obama today.
With all the nonsense we have been up against in the past few months fighting to support very basic things like birth control, the idea of a Romney presidency is terrifying for sure.
Whether or not you feel jazzed about politics, think Obama has been a let down, or don’t think your vote matters, I personally think it’s important to consider the alternative. These are the moments where it actually matters who the president is. No need to go back into the dark ages on birth control, abortion, and access to basic women’s health care.
I can’t help but directly plagiarize myself, since next to ranting, I think the most important thing about blogging is getting people access to information.
Here is a brief list of links that I think may be helpful.
xox
GENERAL SEX INFO/EDUCATION:
Scarleteen: Sex Education for the Real World.
I can’t really recommend this blog enough. It’s upbeat, thorough and informative. Never judgmental, i wish i had this resource when i was figuring shit out.
Emily Nagoski: Sex Nerd blog
Yeeee, i respect this woman!
SEX/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH:
Planned Parenthood
Amazing resource. Can’t say enough good about them. Birth control, abortions, health access, etc.
Our Bodies Ourselves.
General Health, woman’s health, pregnancy, sexuality, etc. This book should be in everyone’s library.
Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom
This is a great alternative health resource that i have turned to again and again to take care of myself by Dr. Christiane Northrup. It was recommended to me in a pap smear crisis and i think you need this book.
Orgasm, Inc.
This is a great new flick about the medical industries search for “pink viagra” and the medicalization of “female sexual dysfunction.” Truly fascinating and pertinent.
Cycle Savvy by Toni Weschler. Written for teens but a great way to get in touch with your cycle, track your ovulation, know your body, etc.
SEX BOOKS/GUIDES:
The Good Vibrations Guide to Sex
This book must be bought, so i’m sending you direct to a purchasing source.
Nina Hartley’s Guide to Total Sex.
(And Nina Hartley in general!!) Click this link for porn, sex education, how to’s and rockin feminist sex positive perspective.
Are We Having Fun Yet
If you read this book, you will surely know it’s so dated, but i sort of look at it as a bit groundbreaking for its time.
SEX TOYS:
Good Vibrations.
Sex Toys, sex info, amazing staff, sex positive kick ass mission, amazing museum of vibrators. Condoms, lube, dildoes, vibrators, etc. If you have any fear or questions or hesitation, go to them!
Adam & Eve
Endless supply of adult toys.
Babeland
Seriously, are you getting the picture? Buy some sex toys. It’s worth it. Explore, play, figure it out, enjoy!
HISTORY OF VIBRATORS
And while we are on the topic of sex toys, might as well learn about their history. An all time favorite topic of mine.
The Technology of Orgasm by Rachel Maines.
She is my history superhero. Ever wonder where and why vibrators were invented? Yeah, it’s good.
Passion and Power
Lil’ flick on the topic, featuring Rachel Maines herself. Dated but informative!
OPEN RELATIONSHIPS:
i would start with Tristan Taormino, one of my personal heroes. i have long respected her feminist porn and sex education, and she recently moved into the realm of relationship advice. Her book is called “Opening Up“. She is bad ass and you can sort of skip around this book like it’s a resource. You can read it cover to cover for sure, which i would recommend if you’ve never even considered non-monogamy.
Then there is always the classic, “The Ethical Slut,” which people (including me!) often complain is too hippie, but it’s good if you can get past that. Especially what they have to say about jealousy. It’s okay to be jealous when your partner is on a date with someone else, you just have to fess up to the emotion, recognize where it’s coming from, and get the support you need.
There is a more casual story-like book called “Open” by Jenny Block. This book is a narrative of Jenny’s experiences with non-monogamy. She sort of tells her life story from childhood to being in an open marriage. It’s a quick read and definitely reassuring if you feel like you are alone in your process.
Lastly, and possibly most excitingly, “Sex at Dawn.” It’s my hope and dream that their more scientific approach to questioning whether or not monogamy is natural will open up a whole new realm of investigation on the matter.
PORN
Tristan Taormino is absolutely my favorite porn director/sex educator. She has the most feminist bad ass approach to pornography and hot/sexy/informative sex education. The first film of hers i ever saw was The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Woman. She somehow combines an informative how to video with some hot damn porn. You can be into anal sex or not, i would recommend checking this out as a good intro to how porn can be more than grody degrading cum shots.
For feminist porn that isn’t instructional in nature, take a look at her Chemistry series. This is a brilliant, hot, unscripted porn series where she hires porn stars, puts them in a house together for a weekend, and films them fucking. It is so good. If you have a hard time getting into the idea of porn but are still compelled to take a look, start with this. Complete with interviews with the actors/actresses; it’s fascinating and hot.
I could go on about Tristan forever, but i will let you do some exploring on your own.
Annie Sprinkle! Goddess of Sex! So her porn is a little dated, but her books are fucking outstanding. It’s a stellar look into her life. Her website is a great resource for a sex positive outlook. One of her best contributions to society was the Public Cervix Announcement. As a post-porn performance artist, Annie did a performance piece where she invited the audience to the stage to take a look at her cervix. Thank you, Annie!
violet blue. Author of The Smart Girls Guide to Porn, violet blue knows her feminist porn. i admit that there was a time in my life i though i needed to be against porn to be a feminist. Fuck that! Porn can be fun if you have a positive approach to it and can feel good about the actors/actresses.
Eros Blog i don’t know too much or have too much to say about this blog. But it has some fascinating historical photos and crazy archives of pornographic photos. Definitely worth a look.
FEMINISM
Cunt has to be one of the best things to read, ever. If you haven’t read it, i highly recommend checking out this little gem by Inga Musico. It would not be an understatement to say it was life changing.
Eve Ensler is a great feminist author, playwright and performance artist. Her most famous work is The Vagina Monologues. It’s an incredibly powerful performance to go check out.
RAPE/SEXUAL ABUSE
Fugitivus blog. This blog is incredibly cathartic to read; it’s rightfully angry, personal, and fearless.
Healing Sex: A Mind Body Approach to Healing Sexual Trauma. This resource is by Staci Haines. It employs a somatic healing approach to overcoming sexual trauma. It is mostly directed at people abused in their youth but is a guide for anyone. I wouldn’t recommend starting to read this until you are ready to address your abuse head on.
Hope you find some of this information good and helpful!
In what seems like an unending serious of WTF moments in our nation, a bunch of Catholics are upset because they are going to be forced to cover birth control in health care they give their employees To be clear, Churches are exempt, but Catholic charities, hospitals, etc. will have to offer the coverage.
Obama is taking is on the chin from these people.
The president’s tone was polite but not contrite, a person briefed on the calls told POLITICO: He explained that while his health care law exempted Catholic churches from the requirement, he wouldn’t carve out other Catholic institutions even though the Vatican views artificial birth control as contrary to the will of God.
Aides say Obama’s move, which has sparked thunderous denunciations as he prepares to address the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday, was motivated by personal conviction and his long-held belief that all health plans need to provide birth control to women.(via)
If I am an atheist and work at a catholic hospital I can’t get birth control covered under my health care plan, because some guy in Rome says its against his imaginary friends rules? Even if I am a Protestant, a Jew, or Hindu; because Rome says no birth control doesn’t get covered. I applaud Obama for standing up for the rights of these workers. Just because you work for a Catholic doesn’t mean you have to do every incomprehensible thing their leader says.
Just to get an idea of how silly this whole thing is. These are the same people who waited hundreds of years to admit the earth goes around the sun long after an overwhelming amount of evidence. They almost put a man to death for saying the same, and their main justification for these decisions, God told us to. Are these really the kind of people we should let help us decide important things?
I am not alone it seems, in fact a majority of Catholics themselves think that the catholic church should cover birth control.
A majority (55%) of Americans agree that “employers should be required to provide their employees with health care plans that cover contraception and birth control at no cost.” Four-in-ten (40%) disagree with this requirement.
Key breakdowns
58% of all Catholics agree employers should be required to provide their employees with health care plans that cover contraception. That slides down to 52% for Catholic voters, 50% for white Catholics.
61% of religiously unaffiliated Americans say employer plans should cover contraception.
50%of white mainline Protestants want the coverage. However, for evangelical Protestants, that drops to 38%.And perhaps of greater note among election-watchers:
Women are significantly more likely than men to agree that employers should be required to provide health care plans that cover contraception (62% vs. 47% respectively).
A second poll, also released today from Public Policy Polling, has similar findings. This poll, conducted at the request of Planned Parenthood, finds
…a majority of voters, including a majority of Catholics, don’t believe Catholic hospitals and universities should be exempted from providing the benefit.
…Independent voters support this benefit by a 55/36 margin; in fact, a majority of voters in every racial, age and religious category that we track express support. In particular, a 53 percent majority of Catholic voters, who were oversampled as part of this poll, favor the benefit, including fully 62 percent of Catholics who identify themselves as independents.(via)
In fact 98% of Catholics ALREADY have used birth control, so of course they want it covered under their insurance plan.
Why should the opinion of Catholics merit any consideration in this decision? There have been a million crazy ideas over the eons, from the idea that humors are what made you sick (and must be balanced with mercury), to the one that an invisible friend doesn’t want you to be on the pill. We wouldn’t allow someone who thinks the earth is flat to attend our geography convention, why do we let Catholics help us decide what gets covered under our health care?
I am glad Obama stood up to these folks, maybe there is hope yet for this nation.