(Thanks for the AU link, Stephen.)

...a Federal Government-funded study revealed teenagers are crying out for better advice on sexual intimacy and relationships.

The groundbreaking study, funded by the Australian Research Council, shows that while an increasing number of youngsters are sexually active under the age of 16, they feel they receive little to no direction from parents or schools in the areas that matter most.

The research concludes that rather than the basic do's and don'ts of so called "sexual mechanics", what today's teenagers are desperate for is advice on the complexities surrounding sexual intimacy, negotiating consent, handling peer pressure and the potential for violence.

Youngsters who took part in the study also wanted further opportunity to learn communication skills in an area where many adults themselves fall short; dating and continuing relationships.

The chief researcher, Associate Professor Moira Carmody, from the University of Western Sydney's Social Justic...

The dramatic declines in teenage pregnancy rates noted in the United States between 1995 and 2002 were largely due to improved contraceptive use, not to abstinence, a new study shows.

The article goes into far more detail but I just want to point out that this is evidence that teens can and do make responsible choices when choosing to be sexually active. Indeed, contraceptive use accounted for 86% of the drop whereas abstinence can only claim 14%.

(From Common Dreams Today)

Challenging the "Luxury" of Abstinence
by Haider Rizvi

NEW YORK - While there is no indication that the George W. Bush administration is willing to roll back its current restrictions on funding for HIV/AIDS, it may find it difficult to maintain the status quo when Democrats take charge of the U.S. Congress in January.

U.S. efforts to promote abstinence as a cornerstone of sexual education have not lowered levels of sexually transmitted diseases, two former U.S. surgeon generals said on Thursday.

It's been an incredibly excellent week for myself, Scarleteen, and -- in my opinion -- the world at large.

We have the first woman speaker of the House in history -- now democratic -- today, the fantastic, feminist Nancy Pelosi.

We're THIS close to a democratic Senate win, and Dems dominate the Governors. We now have 82 women -- 82 women! -- in the Senate.

The South Dakota abortion ban was overturned (thanks, SD voters, for turning out in record numbers!), and prop 85 also didn't pass.

The morning after pill is now legal in the U.S. for over-the counter use, without a prescription, for those over 18.

But what does that mean to you?

Following is an in-depth question and answer page about the decision and how it will be applied for all women, about Plan B, and about pharmacist refusals and how to manage them. Please circulate this information and/or link it as widely as possible, (with attribution to the author, please).

The FDA press release from the day of the decision stated:

Well, for women 18 and older.

Minors will still need a prescription to obtain emergency contraception in most states. Despite the restriction, this is a step in the right direction that was a long overdue. For more information about emergency contraception and how it works, check out this article on Scarleteen's main site: Emergency Contraception. To learn more about the accessibility of the morning after pill in your state GO2EC.org is the place to start.

"Using condoms consistently and properly significantly reduces the risk of infection by the virus [HPV] that causes cervical cancer among newly sexually active women."

This probably isn't a big surprise for most people but it does take away a tool of the abstinence-only camp. For years they've been disparaging condom efficacy because condoms weren't proven to make a difference with things like HPV.

Between this study and the new vaccine HPV is looking more and more managable all the time.

The vaccine, Gardisil, is only approved for women and girls right now but its maker (Merck) is looking into its use in boys and men. Hopefully it will be available to males soon since they can also be infected and transmit the virus to their partners. A few things have to be cleared up yet, such as at what age girls should be vaccinated and if pediatricions should include it in their vaccination schedules. The CDC makes its reccomendations June 29th.

Matt Dubay feels he should have had a choice in becoming a father. Instead of taking precautions such as condoms or helping his partner pay for birth control or lobbying for a horomonal contraceptive for men he wants to have nothing to do with the child his ex chose to keep.

It's hard enough to stomach this administration's claims of a "War on Terror," when fighting that war (as if that wasn't ironic enough already) involves taking water and work away from civilians, and thousands of deaths and injuries for Iraqis and American soldiers alike.

But when, today, the Supreme Court negated federal protections for abortion clinics against violence, when the Bush administration supported a "pro-life" group with a validated history of a wide scope of clinic violence, including bombings (again with the irony), all one could really ask oneself was...