TellThem!

Margaret Pilarski and Sabrina Heise, writers for Skirt! Magazine, visited Columbia as part of their road trip to New Orleans for the 10th anniversary of the Vagina Monologues. On the way, they stopped in our neck of the woods, and conducted a interviews at Immaculate Consumption, a local cafe’ on Main Street.

The idea of these interviews was to find out what womanhood and feminism mean to locals in Columbia, South Carolina. Sabrina and Margaret spoke with women and men about the issue, and among some of the interviewees were TellThem! Program Manager, Morgan Sherman, and fellow grassroots organizer, Kate Hampton of Planned Parenthood Health Systems.

Watch the video. Then check out Skirt! Magazine for yourself.

Contraception Crisis
USC’s Thomson Student Health Center Running Out of Affordable Birth Control
by : Mindy Lucas
USC’s Thomson Student Health Center has been stockpiling birth control pills — but not because administrators anticipate a run on oral contraception, although they might once word gets out that less expensive pills are almost gone.

The health center has been stockpiling pills since January, when the little-known Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 became law. The act effectively eliminated a group discount policy on drugs — key to negotiating with pharmaceutical companies.

“What I believe the act was originally trying to do was reduce spending or control spending on drugs, but the unintended consequence was [that] it eliminated the ability to get this group discount rate and that gave pharmaceutical companies no incentive to offer discounted rates,” says Lauren Vincent, public relations coordinator for the health center.

Brand name birth control pills, such as these, are going up in price at USC’s Thomson Student Health Center.
File photo

As a result, birth control pills at the health center have jumped from $12 per pack for a month’s supply to $30 and $45 per pack. And although the health center, located in the heart of the USC campus, continues to offer generic forms of oral contraception, Vincent says for some women, generic might not be an option.

“That’s something they’ll want to discuss with their physician,” she says. “But even the generic is still not going to be $12 a month.”

In the meantime, she says the center has been doing what it can to keep up with the demand for affordable contraception, including stocking pills and letting students who use the facility know of the price increases.

“When we found out, we tried to buy a bulk amount but we’re basically starting to run out,” Vincent says. “We’re trying to let students know it’s not our fault.”

The health center is not alone in struggling to keep affordable contraception on its shelves as a result of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, according to Sarah Gareau, program manager for TellThem!, a statewide grassroots health policy program started by the New Morning Foundation, which is working to reduce teen pregnancy.

“It [the law] has interfered with not only college health clinics, but many community health clinics’ ability to provide name-brand drugs at affordable rates,” says Gareau, adding that pills at community health clinics have jumped from $10 per pack to $50 or more for a month’s supply. “Which is just cost prohibitive for many young people and students,” Gareau says.

She goes on to say that many health advocacy groups and others involved with health issues in the state are concerned that the rising costs of birth control pills might have negative impacts on young women. “We know from research that more than 50 percent of unwanted pregnancies occur among women in their 20s and that’s college age,” Gareau says.

Both Gareau and Vincent are trying to get the word out about the legislation. As a member of the American College Health Association, the health center is pushing for additional legislation to be attached to the act, Vincent says. “We are asking for them to make college health centers exempt from the act,” she says.

Gareau says TellThem!, made up of about 2,000 members, also supports exempting health clinics from the law. She says TellThem! is asking U.S. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., to approach U.S. Rep. John Dingell about the issue. Dingell, D-Mich., chairs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

“Clyburn has the pull to ask Dingell to attach the language,” says Gareau, adding that the deadline for attaching the language — Sunday — is fast approaching. And although Gareau says Clyburn, whose district includes part of Richland County, has said he is only willing to speak to his constituents about the issue, Gareau says he should listen to all South Carolinians. “The university sits in his district and serves many of his constituents who will vote in his district.”

Powered by Content Management System - PLANet w3 Magazine - PLANet Systems Group 2007

Refusing to address teen births
January 9, 2008

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By BONNIE K. ADAMS
Guest columnist
The State’s Dec. 27 editorial about the nation’s rising teen birth rate expressed appropriate concern about taxpayers’ funds being used to put abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in our schools, stating “we need some assurance that specific programs do work before we keep spending tax money on them.” Indeed.

The editorial also bemoaned that rational conversations about sex education are nearly impossible because the debate about how to address teenage pregnancies is so ideologically charged. While true, it is an oversimplification to suggest that this issue is only about philosophical differences: The sex education debate in the United States is at least as much about the protection of large pots of money benefiting abstinence-only-until-marriage entrepreneurs as it is about genuine philosophical differences.

According to a recent study by USC’s Center for Health Policy and Research, births to young mothers 10-19 cost South Carolina’s taxpayers $156 million annually. When our state budget forecast is dismal, when our schools are hurting and when DHEC needs more funding for family planning clinical services rather than less, $156 million is enough to merit some public attention. Yet, since the Beasley administration, the General Assembly has continued to earmark taxpayer funds for its favorite abstinence-only-until-marriage program providers every year.

The best example is Heritage Community Services, a nonprofit business based in North Charleston. Just 10 years ago and prior to jumping on the abstinence-only-until-marriage bandwagon, Heritage Community Services reported annual revenues of a little more than $50,000. Since that time — due in great measure to the Badgley family’s astute prescience about emerging and potentially profitable state and federal abstinence-only-until-marriage grant streams — Heritage has garnered more than $18 million through state and federal grant revenues. Meanwhile four family members have been compensated: Anne Badgley; her husband, Gordon Badgley; her daughter Sally Badgley Raymond; and Sally’s husband, Jerry Raymond.

Then there is Badgley Enterprises, a separate, for-profit company that is wholly owned by the Badgley family. Badgley Enterprises publishes abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula, which Heritage Community Services purchases with (you guessed it) federal and state grant funds. Little wonder why the Badgleys were featured in last June’s issue of The Nation in an article titled “The Abstinence Gluttons.”

Fifteen states have decided to reject federal money for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and to cease state funding that invites contractors such as Heritage into their public schools. These states’ policymakers have looked at abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, as well as the programs’ providers, and determined that their states’ young people deserve better.

Three of these states are fighting very high rates of AIDS, much as we are in South Carolina. Is it possible that legislators in these states feel an overriding moral imperative to provide uncensored and medically accurate information about condoms to their sexually active youth, who are at risk for HIV infection?

In referring to the increase in the nation’s teen birth rate, The State’s editorial laments “These numbers should call us to action — if only we knew how to act.” We do know how to act. There are science-based curricula that have been evaluated extensively and that have demonstrated effectiveness among a variety of demographic groups. The U.S. Surgeon General has even taken a stand in support of comprehensive sex education. What we lack is not knowledge or expertise, but rather the collective will and the political courage that 14 other states have evidenced.

A nationwide survey of public opinion on sex education in U.S. schools, which was published in the November 2006 Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, showed that 82 percent of Americans support comprehensive programs “that teach both abstinence and other methods of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.” This mirrors research among South Carolina’s own registered voters, 80 percent of whom want similar programs in our schools.

Between 2000 and 2004, the pregnancy rate for South Carolina girls 18-19 years old was 110.5 per 1,000 girls — more similar to the teen birth rates of Afghanistan, Cambodia and Guatemala than to any other developed nation in the world.

Yet, in the next two months, our legislators — beginning with those who serve on the House Ways and Means Committee — will reconsider investing even more taxpayers’ dollars in abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, which objective research has shown do not work and which the majority of South Carolina voters do not want.

While journalists may be understandably weary of listening to the wrangling between over-zealous adults who support or oppose sex education, nonetheless South Carolina’s taxpayers cannot afford our Fourth Estate to turn a deaf ear. Too many tax dollars have been wasted. Too many young people need and deserve uncensored, protective health information they’re not getting.

Ms. Adams is executive diretor of New Morning Foundation, a privately funded grant-making foundation, that works to reduce unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections among South Carolina’s young people under age 30.

© 2008 TheState.com and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.thestate.com

“In every community there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it.” –Marianne Williamson

My name is Divya Reddy and I am a graduate student at the University of South Carolina completing my Masters in Public Health. I have had the pleasure of interning with the New Morning Foundation’s TellThem! network starting in July 2007. Today is my last day. As I prepare for graduation, I look back on my work experience and graciously smile. My experience at the Foundation has been a wonderful eye opener. It has truly given me an insider perspective on the day to day responsibilities of a grassroots organization. It has made me realize what the word ‘grassroots’ means. We work to achieve many of the same goals as other organizations- improving the lives in South Carolina. The theme that ties it all together is that knowledge is power. We want to fight to reduce teen pregnancies in South Carolina and fight for reproductive rights. The state of South Carolina faces many disparities and this forces us to ask the question- how can we make a difference? With the teen pregnancy rate higher than the national average, we must approach the problem with a new plan. Let’s break the cycle of generational teen pregnancies. It’s time to stop turning a blind eye to a problem that needs much attention. Let’s educate the children, teens, and parents through comprehensive sexual education. Let’s partner with schools, communities, and other affiliated organizations. Let’s empower people with factual information to make the best decisions. Let’s spread the word! I type these words with fervor and conviction. My goal is not to persuade you but to reiterate what I have learned. Making a difference starts at the grassroots level. This all takes dedication and energy and starts with a few people who are passionate enough to pursue a cause. I have seen the progress and goals we have accomplished in a short period of time. The strides we make mean that there is more community awareness and involvement. And, I am proud to have worked with people who have the drive and compassion to make a difference. I have enjoyed being part of the New Morning Foundation team and will always take this experience and apply it to my future endeavors.

Click here to read “Abstinence sucks as public policy,” a blog by Alison Piepmeier, writer for Columbia’s Skirt! Magazine.

In March 1972, Mary Heriot and Vicki Eslinger formed the Greater Columbia NOW (National Organization for Women) Chapter. Inspired by Betty Friedan and the growing presence of NOW around the country, they got to work quickly.

One of their first actions was with The State newspaper. In 1972, job advertisements were listed separately as male and female help wanted. Under the female side, the only jobs listed were for teachers, maids, and nurses. NOW representation went to speak with The State’s managing editor, only to be thrown out of his office. For over two months, NOW sent copies of the ads to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, spurring the EEOC to send letters to The State. In a few weeks, they listed all the jobs together.

But today, we still face many issues. The S.C. Legislature currently has several bills that NOW does not support. Most notable is H.3355 and S.84, otherwise known as the ultrasound abortion bills. They started out requiring that a woman sign a statement that she viewed her ultrasound before obtaining an abortion. Currently, the Senate has removed that requirement from the House bill and is pushing it in Conference Committee. However, the House is still pushing for the requirement, without even an exception for rape or incest victims. Another issue is S.27, the Pharmacy Refusal Bill, which would allow a pharmacist to refuse to fill a prescription for birth control or emergency contraception for moral or religious reasons.

We have joined with Planned Parenthood in their Fill My Pills Campaign, which send volunteers out to pharmacies in the Columbia area to make sure they have emergency contraception available. They have generously allowed us to use their facilities for our chapter meetings.

In the spring, we hope to continue our partnerships with Tell Them!, the South Carolina Equality Coalition, and Planned Parenthood. We will have regular monthly meetings, speakers, letter writing parties, and so much more. There is something for everyone, whether you want to stand up at a rally or write letters to the editor.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 7:00 PM, at the Planned Parenthood office at 2712 Middleburg Drive #107, Columbia, SC 29204. If you are interested in being added to our contact list, email us at columbiascnow@gmail.com. You can get more information at www.now.org. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Mae Wilson
Greater Columbia NOW
Chapter President

Below is a Letter to the Editor, submitted to the Post and Courier, written by Lanita Patterson.

Not only abstinence

Columbia

What do you think?

Not only is tomorrow Love Your Body Day, but this week is National Health Education Week!

  Check out Governor Mark Sanford’s statement in support of NHEW in South Carolina.

At TellThem! we believe that part of living a healthier, more satisfying life is having a positive self-image. 

In American society, much of how women view themselves stems from what we see and hear in the media.  Unfortunately images of airbrushed models have been emphasized so much that many women have forgotten how to appreciate themselves completely–just the way they are. 

But the National Organization of Women (NOW) Foundation hasn’t forgotten. In fact, they’ve declared October 18 Love Your Body Day. Visit the  Love Your Body campaign website for more information on what you can do, send an e-card to your friends, take a body image survey, or check out the positive and offensive ways women are portrayed in advertisements. If you’re feeling creative, you can even participate in the Love Your Body poster contest or learn how to organize your own event.

By celebrating Love Your Body Day, you’re offering support and encouragement to women everywhere, and most importantly, remembering to celebrate yourself.

Beryl Roda of Silver Spring, Maryland is the Love Your Body: 2007 Poster Contest Grand Prize Winner.  To see other winning designs and positive messages click here.

October is Let’s Talk Month, a national public education campaign coordinated by Advocates For Youth. This month, organizations, schools, businesses, religious institutions and health providers will get together to plan activities that foster open dialogue about sexuality between parents and their children.

You may not have known, but most children receive their knowledge about sex from their parents. Even though parents are generally well-informed about sexuality, they often don’t know how to communicate their ideas effectively.

That’s why Advocates For Youth suggests that parents and legal guardians review a list of “Door Openers” and “Door Slammers” or ways to support or discourage those conversations.

The website also includes Messages Worth Repeating and activities you can participate in to acknowledge Let’s Talk Month.

If you’re a parent or guardian and you’re wondering what your child may want to know about sex, the Advocates For Youth website has also listed examples of questions from preschoolers, preteens, and teenagers to give you an idea of what to cover.

By recognizing Let’s Talk Month, you will not only share your knowledge about sexuality with your child, but you may learn something too. Information makes all the difference.

To learn more, click here.