Blogs Comment On Reproductive Health Legislation, Research, Other Topics

The following summarizes selected women's health-related blog entries.

~ "Electronic Mnemonics and the Pill," Laura Lloyd, National Campaign To Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy's "Pregnant Pause": Although oral contraceptives are the most popular birth control method among U.S. teens and young adults, the pill "tends to be less effective than it could be thanks to user error," Lloyd writes. The pill, when taken perfectly, is 99.7% effective, but "when it's taken the way women typically take it -- forgetting a pill (or two) here, forgetting a pill (or three) there -- the level of effectiveness drops to 92%," she continues. Two recent studies examining whether text message reminders increased pill adherence indicate that "there's definite promise and a number of issues that warrant further study," Lloyd writes. One study found no difference in pill adherence between women who received text message reminders, while the other study showed the opposite, according to Lloyd. "I'd say it's too early in the game to know exactly how well the reminder worked (or didn't, as the case may be)," she continues, adding that "at least there are researchers in our field that have taken the first step in exploring how digital devices can help women get a little closer to perfect when using their less-than-perfect methods" (Lloyd, "Pregnant Pause," National Campaign To Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 9/4).

~ "Planned Parenthood is Protecting Choice Right in the Heart of Utah," Feminists for Choice: "When most people think of Utah, the first image they conjure up usually isn't a Planned Parenthood clinic," according to the blog. However, the organization operates nine clinics in the state, including a new site in Orem, "which is home to Utah Valley University and the next door neighbor of Provo, home to Brigham Young University." The Orem clinic is the fastest growing in Utah, "experiencing an 18% increase in its patient load since the clinic opened in 2009," the blog adds. Planned Parenthood of Utah CEO Karrie Galloway said the growth can be attributed to several factors, including Utah's young population and high demand for family planning services and sexually transmitted infection testing. Galloway said that the "traditional model for pro-choice organizing doesn't fit here in Utah," but that "[m]any people ... express incredibly pro-choice views and show their support of Planned Parenthood when they are surveyed." She added that "people support us financially," but "[t]hey're just not very visible or vocal" (Feminists for Choice, 9/1).














~ "Access to Abortion: Red State, Blue State, Interstate," Amanda Marcotte, RH Reality Check: A recent study that "found people in areas with more restrictive abortion policies search [the Internet] for the word 'abortion' more than in liberal areas" is "one with big implications for how we understand the relationship between policy, culture and reproductive rights," Marcotte writes. The study's authors "assumed women in these areas are more likely to look to the Internet for help in finding abortion providers because they feared asking their primary care doctors," Marcotte continues. She adds adding that "antiabortion policies tend to coincide ... with general cultural and legal obstacles to contraception access," which "raises the unintended pregnancy rate, thus the more frequent searching for abortion services." Marcotte argues that the lesson to be learned from the study "is that many women are drastically underserved in the reproductive health department," with inadequate access to contraception, family planning services and comprehensive sex education. "The other thing we can learn from this is that women who have poor access to abortion services are turning to the Internet, so the Internet is where the information they need should be," Marcotte states. She writes that the Internet "can be a great place to find information and service, but sadly it's also a place where emboldened right-wing demagogues can spread lies and misinformation" (Marcotte, RH Reality Check, 9/2).

~ "How Did We Strip Away Women's Reproductive Rights This Year?" Alex DiBranco, Change's "Women's Rights": DiBranco discusses the Center for Reproductive Rights' recent review of federal and state policy changes that affect reproductive rights. On the federal level, during the health reform debate, "[a]nti-choicers won a victory with the Nelson amendment, which imposed mandatory restrictions on abortion coverage while giving states the green light to make life even harder for women, should the mood take them." According to DiBranco, "Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee took them up on that offer" by banning health plans operating in their health insurance exchanges from offering abortion coverage. Florida and Oklahoma "would have followed if it weren't for the woman-friendly pen of their governors," she continues. "Attempts at personhood ballot initiatives that declare against both science and many people's personal beliefs that life begins at conception have also been popular, but luckily these unconstitutional attempts to define all abortion as murder have failed to win over the voters," DiBranco writes. State legislatures also passed "laws requiring doctors to counsel women with scientifically unfounded information, ... mandatory ultrasounds even for rape victims ... and parental notification laws that endanger abused girls," she adds (DiBranco, "Women's Rights," Change, 8/31).

~ "Women's Health Care Under Attack at UNC," NARAL Pro-Choice America's "Blog for Choice": Last month, the "anti-choice blogosphere initiated an e-mail campaign against the [University of North Carolina] system's new required health insurance plan to be implemented this fall" because "it includes the option of abortion care, a standard coverage included in more than 87% of private health insurance plans," the blog states. "Fortunately, NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina has been fighting to save women's health coverage at the UNC system," the blog continues. According to the blog, the "UNC system responded to the protests by offering an alternative plan where students can opt out of abortion coverage," ensuring that they will still have access to comprehensive health care." In addition, "[s]tudents who don't opt out won't pay a higher rate because abortion coverage doesn't affect health plan costs," the blog notes ("Blog for Choice," NARAL Pro-Choice American, 8/27).


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