thelaceserpent:

thenewwomensmovement:

anarcho-queer:

High School Teacher Under Investigation For Saying “Vagina” During Anatomy Lesson

High school science teacher Tim McDaniel is being investigated by Idaho’s professional standards commission because he allegedly used the word “vagina” while teaching a 10th grade biology lesson on reproduction and anatomy.

According to a report from the Times-News, four parents complained to school officials after learning that McDaniel explained the biology of an orgasm and used the word “vagina” during a lesson on human reproduction in his sophomore science class.

A disciplinary letter from the Idaho State Department of Education also accused McDaniels of showing a video clip in class depicting an infection of genital herpes and teaching about different forms of birth control. The letter also alleges that McDaniels told inappropriate jokes in class.

McDaniel also found himself in hot water for asking his students to write a critical response paper on climate change after showing them “An Inconvenient Truth.”

But his students are defending him, arguing in a petition that parents from their conservative community in Dietrich are trying to push a political agenda by getting their biology teacher fired:

“[T]here are a couple people in the community that are trying to get Mr. McDaniel fired for teaching the reproductive system, climate change, and several other science subjects. All these subjects were taught from the book and in good taste. He cares for each of his students and goes the extra mile to help them all. Now is the time for us to help by supporting him!”

For his part, McDaniel is perplexed by the accusations, telling the Times-News: “I teach straight out of the textbook, I don’t include anything that the textbook doesn’t mention. But I give every student the option not attend this class when I teach on the reproductive system if they don’t feel comfortable with the material.”

“This sort of thing makes you worry about what you teach,” he added. “That’s not right.”

There are no words for how ridiculous this is.

What kind of message are we sending young women when we reprimand faculty for using the standard term for our genitalia? Shame. We are telling them that they should be ashamed of their bodies. What a crock of shit.   

(via muninandhugin)

rabbleprochoice:

oinonio:

Teens Who Take Virginity Pledges Just As Likely to Have Sex, Less Likely to Use Protection

Not Surprising.

People who believe in “purity rings” and virginity pledges are more likely to avoid learning about sex and how to protect themselves because they think they won’t have sex until they’re married (because no one tells them that learning about sex and protecting yourself is necessary after marriage, too) so when they actually DO have sex, they are less prepared and less educated than other people their age.

Love,

Rabble

(via antichoicescreencaps)

fuckyeahabortions:

fatflagrantfeminist:

Secret from PostSecret.com

This is one of the main problems with pro-choice rhetoric for me.
This person shouldn’t feel guilty for not feeling guilty, but even pro-choice people claim that “no one wants an abortion” or “we need to work on making abortion less necessary” as though it’s some awful thing.
This feeds the pro-life idea that people shouldn’t get abortions because they’re immoral, if even pro-choicers believe it’s some awful thing you need to feel bad about. 

ON DEMAND AND WITHOUT APOLOGY.

My position on this is that I think abortion is awesome because it allows pregnant people to not be pregnant anymore if they want.

However, I will always fight to have comprehensive sex ed and accessible, affordable contraception, because unwanted pregnancies can suck a lot. Abortion is a wonderful and perfectly acceptable way out, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t work to educate people and make contraception more available.

In fact, I would say that reducing the instances of unwanted pregnancy seems to be an activity engaged in way more by pro-choice people than by “pro-life” people, because “pro-life” people don’t have any strategies that are proven to be effective.

(Source: postsecret.com)

stfuconservatives:

abaldwin360:

mindbabies:

jsmog:

Canada’s teen birth and abortion rate drops by 36.9 per cent

Better access to contraception, higher quality sex education and shifting social norms have contributed to a 36.9 per cent decline in Canada’s teen birth and abortion rate between 1996 and 2006, according to a report released today by the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada.

America’s emphasis on abstinence-only sex ed “tends to result in a higher percentage of teens becoming pregnant,” as does the country’s lack of universal health care. Poverty is another factor.

Among the four countries compared for 2006, Canada boasted the lowest teen birth and abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 (27.9), followed by Sweden (31.4), England/Wales (60.3), and the United States (61.2).

THIRTY-SEVEN PERCENT DECREASE? Goddamn. How much more proof will people need before they realize how ineffective Abstinence-Only sex education is?

It doesn’t matter how much evidence we have. Zealots will cling to their beliefs.

This reminds me of the LA high school where they cut teen pregnancies by two-thirds after putting a Planned Parenthood on campus. Sex ed works, abstinence doesn’t.

Click on the picture for the article.

(via awitchintheforest-deactivated20)