UK
How Can I Access Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare in the UK?
The Struggle to Access Medical Abortion in Northern Ireland During the Pandemic: An Interview with Alliance for Choice’s Naomi Connor
Getting Birth Control May Be Easier Than You Think!
The Testing Diaries: Jacob
I was going to be taking my STI test with a friend today, with the idea we would both get tested and I could've written in the style of a comedy bromance movie like "Dude. Where's My Car?" except with less sexism and more conversations about male STI testing anxiety and our feelings.
Alas, he has made other arrangements and I'll be going solo to the testing clinic.
This clinic focuses on reducing HIV in the MSM (men who have sex with men) demographic, but is open to anyone, and so I'm here in the city centre where it is based. They test for HIV, chlamydia & gonorrhea and I've opted for all three.
UK Hurdles to Emergency Contraception
It's been a few months now since Heather posted "Back Up Your Birth Control Backup Day" making it crystal clear that, despite some pretty unethical misinformation given to young people seeking it, emergency contraception in the US is totally legal to sell to people 17+ without prescription.
It was few days later over here in the UK that I read a blog-post from a student in London that she had been refused emergency contraception, but not because of her age.
Which had me asking myself what the law actually is in the UK.
Wordbusting in Sex Ed debates! - Little words
There has been an increasing level of organisation and activity in the UK from politicians and pressure groups who are against comprehensive sex education, even lobbying against the basics like teaching body parts to primary school children and ever more increasingly speaking about abstinence. The tactics are versions of what US sex educators have been battling against for a while.
I feel dirty and irresponsible because of genital herpes
I'm 20 and have been with my partner for about two and a half years. We have a great relationship and are happy together. However, two years ago, when we first started sleeping together, I contracted genital herpes, even though we used condoms. I was a virgin before I slept with him so I knew it had come from him....
Brook for Young People (UK)
UK "Repeat" Abortion Rate for Teens Increases: What Does It Mean and What Can We Do?
Originally written for The Guardian, condensed version can be seen there.
In 2008, over 5,000 UK women under the age of 20 had an abortion that was not their first. As was made clear by the alarmist headlines following the publication of those numbers, this is a big concern for the public.
Spotlight on Scarleteen: Jacob
Jacob is an engineering student living in Leeds, UK. At Scarleteen, Jacob puts his diverse background to use by offering an introspective take on topics such as sexual orientation and relationships, while also being one of the few male volunteers at the site.