This is the first of many posts on behave of a coalition based at Kent State University in Ohio.  The coalition is lead by a student Health Education Honorary, Eta Sigma Gamma, of which I am President.  Eta Sigma Gamma is dedicated to providing both the campus and community with free quality Health Education.  We are ever mindful of the increasing politicization of public health, therefore, are deeply involved in advocacy.  Our campus coalition advocates for Reproductive Rights, specifically Comprehensive Sexuality Education and equal access to the HPV Vaccine.           

In the first semester of our academic year we established a coalition of seven student groups, two university departments, one local community agency, and gained support from three national organizations.  Tactics including federal and in-district lobbying visits, letter and email writing, petition gathering, and using media lead to two new co-sponsors for the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act, which would provide federal funding for Comprehensive Sexuality Education. 

We continue to work toward the passage of the REAL Act, but we now recognize the importance of change here at Kent State University and here in Ohio.  For this reason we are advocating for the HPV vaccine to be covered by Kent State Student Health Insurance and for the HPV vaccine to become a state mandate.  

As progress is made I will continue to update the blog, please provide thoughts, ideas, and feedback.

Thanks,

Colin V. Dean

Last week, comprehensive sex education expanded to three states. The Kansas Board of Education, in a 6-3 vote, will be ending its one-year abstinence-only education program for comprehensive sex education. In addition, Massachusetts’s governor, Deval Patrick (D) has also made a step towards comprehensive sex education by announcing that he may refuse the $700,000 federal grant. MA has had federally funded abstinence-only education programs since 1998. Lastly, Christine Gregoire (D), governor of Washington, signed two important laws into effect on Wednesday, May 9, 2007.

1. Public schools are now prohibited from teaching abstinence-only classes, although schools have the choice whether they want to teach sex education. All information must be medically and scientifically accurate.
2. Public schools must also provide information about HPV and the vaccination.

For more information on these three states, check out this full article on the Feminist Wire. They also have a link to the Mathematica Policy Research report about abstinence-only education (see my first post!).

~世界の革命