Latest news with #Roe
Axios
3 hours ago
- Health
- Axios
Texas is one of most restrictive states for birth control access
Texas is among states with the most restrictive access to contraception, a new scorecard from the Population Reference Bureau shows. Why it matters: Contraception access has become a political flashpoint since the U.S. Supreme Court ended Roe v. Wade, with Democrats unsuccessfully pressing to codify contraceptive access nationwide and some patients concerned that conservative state legislatures could enact new curbs. Zoom in: While Texas expanded Medicaid coverage for family-planning services through the Healthy Texas Women waiver, it hasn't adopted a broader expansion of the health insurance program for low-income residents. That has left gaps in coverage for men and people under 18, per the scorecard. The state requires insurers to cover prescription birth control if they cover other prescription drugs but doesn't mandate coverage of over-the-counter methods. Texas allows minors to consent to contraceptive services only if they're married or meet narrow exceptions. Texas also doesn't require sex education in schools, per the report. The big picture: Nearly 35% of Americans, or 121 million people, live in a state that actively restricts access. The most protective states included California, Washington, Connecticut, New York, New Mexico, Maryland and Oregon. What they're saying:"Reproductive health care access depends on where you live," said Cathryn Streifel, senior program director at PRB and co-author of the scorecard.
USA Today
a day ago
- General
- USA Today
'Sexual conservatism,' virginity and why Gen Z is having less sex
Research shows America's youth today are having less sex. The 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior found adolescent sexual behavior declined since 2013. A 2022 survey from the Kinsey Institute that found one in four Gen Z adults say they have never experienced partnered sex. But are Gen Z really as modest as some may think? Carter Sherman, 31, a journalist for The Guardian, digs into that question with her new book "The Second Coming," which explores Gen Z's sex lives — or lack thereof. Sherman found through interviews with more than 100 young people that this generational dry spell is less puritanical and more political, with Gen Zers abstaining from sex for a complex variety of reasons. Gen Z is sometimes framed as a "nation of virgins," Sherman writes, but our obsession with their lack of intercourse may really say more about our constant need to tell young people how to have sex. Rather than be corrective, she argues, we should focus on approaches that promote safe, consensual encounters and reduce shame. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. Question: You share at the opening of the book you were obsessed with losing your virginity as a teen — sobbing to your mother when you learned a best friend lost theirs to a classmate before you. How is the idea of virginity impacting how we think about young people and sex? I was so obsessed with my own [virginity]. Truly, my last few years of high school were dominated by my a total freak-out that I was still a virgin. I felt that I should have already had sex and my friends were leaving me behind by having sex, and I felt I wasn't living up to the standard of being a teenager. Part of my own journey in writing this book was coming to understand that standard was based on false information. You're either too virginal, or not virginal enough. There's no way to win. I don't think we've moved from the idea of virginity. At the end of the day many of the young people I spoke to felt their virginity was important, and some feel that their virginity was treated as too important. We are always setting standards that don't match up to reality and make us feel worse about ourselves. What doesn't help is the level of shame people carry around and the feeling they're constantly doing it wrong. How much of a factor is the end of Roe v. Wade playing in Gen Z's not having sex? Gen Z is absolutely aware of how much the overturning of Roe v. Wade has changed the U.S., and in particularly their sex lives. Sixteen percent of Gen Zers are now more hesitant to date since the fall of Roe. There are so many young women I talked to who shared a level of sheer anxiety that Roe's overturning sparked. What the overturning of Roe has done is create a deep of anxiety but also create a generation that is ready to do battle over this. Feeling this stuff doesn't make you feel safe enough not only to be in a sexual relationship but also a romantic one. At the same time, you spoke with conservative youth, particularly men, and found that movements to embrace traditional sex roles have also complicated youth feelings about sex. What I call "sexual conservatism" speaks to that. This is the movement to make it dangerous to have queer, unmarried or recreational sex. Sexual conservatism has done a much better job of speaking about the difficulties of raising a family in this country than progressives. It's very appealing for young people to go toward sexual conservatism because the only people they hear talking about it are those on the right. If you feel like you're not being heard, you're going to go to the only people talking about this issue in a comprehensive manner. Gen Z has so much online information about sex, including porn, at their fingertips. How does that impact their sex lives? I really love how the internet has opened up discussions about what is sexuality. But social media also does this thing where it makes people extremely aware of the ways they believe they're falling short with sex. We're gauging our sexual value by likes, matches and follower counts. It makes people not want to engage in sex because they feel they have to look perfect naked in order to get naked. That's not a recipe for vulnerability or connection. How does OnlyFans fit into all of this? As Only Fans bleeds into mainstream social media, it becomes another metric whereby people evaluate themselves and make themselves also appear that way. For young people, the line between (real life) and virtual sex is very much diminishing and blurring. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, it's just how it is at this point. If we want to have conversations about sex, we have to acknowledge so much of young people's sex lives are shaped by the interactions they're having online. What is your advice for older adults trying to relate Gen Z right now? It's less about having the exact right information and more about approaching the topic with an empathetic attitude. Young people through the internet have more taken an approach to LGBTQ+ identities that are more iterative. Recognizing that and not treating that with suspicion is what's important for older people who might not understand what young people are going through. Gen Z men, women have a political divide It's made dating a nightmare What's the bottom line about Gen Z's sex lives? I don't really care if young people are having less sex if that's something they're comfortable with. What I worry about is if having less sex is a proxy for not having relationships, not having connections with yourself and what makes you feel good.
Axios
a day ago
- Health
- Axios
Florida among most restrictive states for birth control access
Florida is among states with the most restrictive access to contraception, a new scorecard from the Population Reference Bureau shows. Why it matters: Contraception access has become a political flashpoint since the Supreme Court ended Roe v. Wade, with Democrats unsuccessfully pressing to codify contraceptive access nationwide and some patients concerned that conservative state legislatures could enact new curbs. The court's decision also paved the way for Florida's six-week abortion ban, which has forced more patients to seek care out of state. Zoom in: While Florida expanded Medicaid coverage for family-planning services, the state hasn't enacted a broader expansion of the health insurance program for low-income residents. That leaves gaps in coverage for men and people younger than 19, the report notes. The state has no laws requiring insurers to cover birth control and only allows minors to consent to contraceptive services if they're married, pregnant or parenting, or if withholding care poses a health risk. Florida also doesn't require sex education in schools, per the report. The latest: Last year, state education officials told districts to stop teaching about contraception and focus sex education lessons on abstinence. The big picture: Nearly 35% of Americans, or 121 million people, currently live in a state that actively restricts access. Of the 16 states the group identified in that cohort, the most restrictive included Florida, Kansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Wyoming. The most protective included California, Washington, Connecticut, New York, New Mexico, Maryland and Oregon. Another 18 states were considered a mix between the two. "Reproductive health care access depends on where you live," said Cathryn Streifel, senior program director at PRB and co-author of the scorecard.
West Australian
a day ago
- Business
- West Australian
Newdegate's Trey Westlake speaks on Labor's shortfalls on regional issues at 2025 Y WA Youth Parliament
A budding young leader from Newdegate caught the attention of policymakers when his committee's regional recovery bill passed unanimously at the 2025 Y WA Youth Parliament. It was Trey Westlake's second consecutive year in the Youth Parliament. He stepped up as shadow minister for agriculture, food and fisheries as a member for Roe at the Legislative Assembly in Perth, on July 7-10. The 16-year-old introduced the producer resilience and recovery insurance scheme on behalf of his eight regional committee members. It would establish a State-run insurance scheme to cover damage costs caused by natural disasters for primary producers to claim, which was unanimously passed. As a first-time shadow minister, his ministerial speech highlighted that the recent State Budget dedicated no funding, processing infrastructure support, a workforce transition plan or farmer assistance for the live export transitioning, despite the WA Government stating they disapproved of the ban. Trey's private member statement discussed 'the current Government's lack of meaningful investment' in the Roe electorate, underlining poor phone reception, unreliable power and frequent outages, inadequate road quality, education and health care. 'The people of Roe aren't asking for handouts. They are simply asking for respect, investment and support,' he said. Royalties for Regions, which started in late 2008, drove his adjournment debate. The scheme promised that 25 per cent of WA's mining and resource royalties would be reinvested into regional communities, but Trey said in 2017 the fund had been 'dismantled and reallocated'. He said the royalties are now used to fund programs that would have been paid for by consolidated revenue, 'that's not regional investment, that's a government padding its books to claim a $2 billion surplus'. The Year 11 student said he returned to the program because he was determined for policymakers to hear regional people, shedding light on key issues and perspectives. This year's event recorded one of Youth Parliament's highest regional numbers with 12 of the 59 participants aged 15-25 travelling from outside the metropolitan area. Trey also got the opportunity to deliberate central discussion points with MLA Peter Rundle and three training days on April 26, May 24 and June 21 to learn about committee rules, amendments and a general overview. Mr Rundle said that 'we need good young leaders in our society' and it was important to cater for all generations and connect with the new wave of younger voters. 'I'm really lucky to have someone like Trey who is keen and interested and it's great to have him be part of (Youth Parliament),' he said. 'He's got a very good handle on how people in the regions and agricultural industry feel, and living with his family in the bush and having gone to school in the regions, he understands the challenges as well.'
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
We're pro-choice Floridians — and we trust David Jolly to defend our rights
We are Floridians who are actively committed to securing reproductive rights in Florida, and we are enthusiastically supporting David Jolly for governor. He strongly believes: 'Reproductive health care decisions should be made between women and their doctors, not politicians.' He wants to bring back the protections of Roe v. Wade, as do the over 57% of Florida voters who voted for Amendment 4 last November. David Jolly told us: 'I voted for Amendment 4. As governor, I would work to enact Amendment 4 into law. I support Roe. I am pro-choice. And as your governor I would veto any legislation that would restrict reproductive healthcare in the state of Florida.' Roe is the United States Supreme Court case that originally established the right to an abortion and was overruled by a 2023 Supreme Court decision. Jolly was not always a supporter of abortion rights. When he was in Congress many years ago, he did support anti-abortion positions. But since then, he has changed his mind. After all, he was raised in a culture that deplored abortion. However, when faced with the tangible and tragic harms resulting from restrictive abortion policies, his view changed. Informed by empathy, ethical considerations and his views on the appropriate role of government, he is now solidly pro-choice. What? A politician who changes his mind to do the right thing? Is that not what we all want? Well, it certainly is what we want. Jolly's positions track exactly the language of Amendment 4: 'No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's healthcare provider.' That language is the same codification of Roe v. Wade that Jolly supports. We find it admirable that Jolly is someone who was willing to change his mind after being confronted with the realities of the anti-abortion movement and its devastating impact on those who need abortions but cannot get them. None of us would be supporting him today unless he had realized his past stance on reproductive choice was wrong. Jolly pledges that he will govern according to his values, which are based on 'love, kindness, respect and dignity.' He says that there are three basic principles that govern his decisions: ▪ Florida's economy should work for everyone in the state. ▪ Florida's laws and policies should apply equally to all. ▪ The personal freedoms of all Floridians must be protected. Those values and principles point only to support for reproductive rights. We trust David Jolly on reproductive rights. But this is not a one-issue race. We also support his positions on other issues that he and we consider critical to Florida: addressing the affordability of housing, property insurance and health care, strengthening and improving public education and allowing our public universities to thrive without government interference. If we cannot accept that politicians can change their minds when they realize they were wrong, we are in for governance that none of us want. Jolly is a person who will live and govern by the same values and principles we all support. That's why dedicated pro-choice women leaders across Miami-Dade like Maribel Balbin, Cindy Lerner and Jennifer Stearns Buttrick are joining reproductive freedom champions throughout our state like Mona Reis, Susan Windmiller, former member of Congress Gwen Graham and former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara Pariente in saying: We trust David Jolly on reproductive rights. Ellen Freidin is a lawyer and sponsor of Florida's Constitutional Equal Protection Clause and leader of the Fair Districts Florida movement. Jane Moscowitz is a former federal prosecutor. Donna Shalala is a former member of Congress and former president of the University of Miami. Barbara Zdravecky is the retired CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida.
