According to data from the Guttmacher Institute, the teenage pregnancy rate rose approximately three percent that year which also included an overall increase in births of four percent and an accompanying increase in rate of abortions of one percent. Overall, of all the Western industrialized countries, the United States has highest rates of all three (teenage pregnancy, births and abortions). The data shows that per every thousand girls between the ages of fifteen and nineteen in 2006, there were 71 pregnancies. The rates were highest for black and Hispanic teenage girls in comparison to white teenage girls.

Larry Finer, the director for domestic research at the Guttmacher Institute, states, “We’re not quite sure yet whether this is just a blip or whether it’s the beginning of a longer upward trend. It’s interesting to note that this flattening out of the rate and the increase in the rate is happening at the same time that we’ve seen substantial increases in funding for abstinence-only programs. We do know that when we saw the big decline in the ’90s, that a lot of that decline was due to improved contraceptive use among teens.” Since the arrival of the Obama administration, the debate between abstinence-only programs and abstinence-plus programs (those programs that promote abstinence but also include education on contraceptives and sexually transmitted diseases) has greatly intensified.

Since the late 1990s, the federal government has allocated over one billion dollars to these abstinence-only programs. These types of programs are strongly supported by conservatives who feel any education about contraceptives should be kept out of schools. In contrast, when the Obama administration took over, the 2010 federal budget got rid of all funds allocated to these abstinence-only programs and instead redistributed them to those initiatives that promote abstinence in addition to “medically accurate and age-appropriate” information. Those states that had the lowest teenager pregnancy rates include Vermont, Minnesota, North Dakota, Maine and New Hampshire. The state with the highest pregnancy rate amongst teenagers was New Mexico at nine percent. Texas, Nevada, Mississippi and Arizona trailed closely behind.

To enter, all you are required to do is to recall the worst or best sex advice an adult has ever given you from the disturbingly far-fetched to the elegantly poignant to the hysterically hilarious. Simply call (310)736-6760 and leave a recording of your story and you could win a trip to Los Angeles where you can participate in a Funny or Die sketch. Whichever story makes the judges go, “Say what?!?” will win the contest. The winner will be announced on www.sextech.org on February 12th. Entries will be accepted up until 11:30am PT on that day, so you have a week to fine-tune your story. The video of the winning story will be shown on February 26th in San Francisco. For complete rules and submission guidelines, visit www.saywhatcontest.org. To see examples of the types of hilarious videos being submitted, go to funnyordie.com.

Their first pick was a study out of The Journal of Neuroscience that determined that a man’s sweat smelled differently depending on whether it was stimulated by regular exertion from exercise or from being sexually aroused. In addition, women were determined to be able to note the difference between the sweat smells. That must have been a fun and smelly study to work on.

Conception magazine published a paper that stated utilizing withdrawal during sex was “almost as effective as the male condom” in preventing unwanted pregnancies. In fact, the failure rate of withdrawal was found to be 18% with the failure rate of condoms coming close behind at 17%. That sound you just heard was a million college students simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief.

A study emerging out of Iowa State University determined that one-quarter of young children between the ages of 11 and 16 that come from household that are considered low-income have admitted to having sex. In fact, for this group of children, the average age of reported first sexual experience was 12.77 years old. This one is just plain scary.

Any men out there wishing their genes had made their manhood just a tad longer? You might be in luck. The University of Turin issued a study that determined that some products meant to extend the penis might actually work. In fact, one brand they studied that utilizes traction to slowly stretch out the penis proved successful. In fact, some men reported a length growth of almost one full inch.

We all do our best to remain healthy to avoid heart attacks and cancer by eating right and getting exercise. Unfortunately for men who want to avoid prostate cancer, having above-normal sexual activity in their 20s and 30s and frequently masturbating puts these men at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a study out of the University of Nottingham. As a man advances in age, however, this risk starts to decline. So, there is a silver lining, men.

Women who dread their annual pap smear, raise your hands. Fortunately, there have been new guidelines established by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that states women should not get their first Pap smear until the age of 21. Also, instead of being checked annually, women can get checked every three years instead.

Family Planning, another New Zealand organization, has begun a new campaign that is striving to open the dialogue about condoms. According to the press release, “the focus of the campaign is designed to get New Zealanders talking about condoms and safer sex.” Right to Life admits that it is honorable of Family Planning to attempt to lower the teenage pregnancy rate as well as the sexually transmitted infection rate with this campaign. Right to Life, however, feels that the entire campaign does nothing but promote promiscuity. They express their disappointment that the Family Planning association continues on an unsuccessful campaign (in their opinion) that pushes an immoral agenda of fornication, teenage pregnancy, promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases. It is their opinion that by encouraging condom use, teenaged boys are encouraged to act more like sexual predators who cannot differentiate between true love and temporary lust.

Right to Life speaks of sexuality, “Our sexuality is a gift of our Creator; He invites us to co-operate with Him within the institution of a loving marriage, procreation and the loving lifelong union of husband and wife. This is God’s plan for or happiness.” Right to Life makes it very clear they do not support Family Planning’s claims that condoms are the number one protection against sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies.

 Right to Life asserts that Family Planning feels it is okay to use abortion as a backup in case a chosen contraceptive does not work; thus, in their opinion, the lives if innocent unborn children are sacrificed. They cite a 2008 report from the Abortion Supervisory Committee which showed that close to 5,000 women who underwent an abortion actually got pregnant despite the fact that they were using condoms as a contraceptive. This, they believe, is evidence that the “safer sex” campaign that Family Planning supports is failing. Right to Life asks that Family Planning stop its initiative of promoting “safe sex” and instead push for people to abstain from sex until marriage.

Now, I understand vegan food. I Had another friend in college who would annoy the rest of us by begging to go out to eat with us and then proceeding to send back her meal ten times because she “tasted something meaty-ish” in her vegetable platter; all the while the rest of us sat there and prayed the cooks and waiters were not spitting in ALL of our meals. Like I said…vegan food, I get. Vegan condoms? Am I missing something?

What exactly is a vegan condom? This is a little hard to say considering there is currently no perfect system or federally regulated standard that defines what makes an item truly and certifiably vegan. In terms of condom production, the use of the ingredient casein is what most vegans seem to zero in on. Casein is a protein found in milk that many condom manufacturers use to create latex for condoms. Vegans feel strongly about not drinking, eating or using any milk products or any by-products of milk. Currently, there are only three latex condoms currently being sold that do not have casein listed as an ingredient.

The Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU) is a sexual health organization that produces vegan condoms. In 2009, the distributor for this organization’s condoms was able to declare their condoms as being certified vegan by the Vegan Action Foundation in America. Another manufacturer in Europe that produces vegan condoms is called Condomi. Instead of casein, this manufacturer utilizes cocoa powder in their production of condoms; however, these vegan condoms are not yet available for purchase in Canada or the U.S. simply because they are making sure they meet all standards and requirements in order to sale within the United States. Glyde manufacturers vegan condoms that are available in the United States.

Vegans also steer clear from any product that has been tested on animals, so some may wonder whether or not that means they also will steer clear of condoms that have lubrication on them. After all, most ingredients that comprise the lubricant were tested on animals at one point in time. In order to avoid this possibility, vegans can choose to buy only condoms that do not have lubricants on them just to be safe….pardon the pun.

Before this law took effect, the state had a requirement that physicians were to administer HIV tests to pregnant women during the initial prenatal visit and when the child was born; however, a woman’s HIV status can alter through the course of her pregnancy with neither the woman or her obstetrician even knowing it. Once a woman goes into labor, it could cause irreparable damage to the baby. The law would change this by requiring physicians to test women for HIV in their third trimester unless the woman objects to doing so.

The law took effect on January 1st, 2010 and was introduced in House bill 1795. In it, any pregnant woman who has a positive HIV test can immediately receive antiretroviral drugs which would help them lessen the risk of transmitting the virus to their baby. In addition, any child whose mother tests positive for HIV can also get treatment immediately after birth and for six weeks thereafter. If a woman decides not to get tested, they can choose to do so and will be shown how to take the test anonymously. They will also get information on the risks associated with HIV transmission. According to the spokesperson for the Department of State Health Services, Allison Lowery, the pregnant women will be billed in order to take the HIV test but the test should be covered by Medicaid or personal/group health insurance.

Researchers feel the testing during the first prenatal visit is vital because it allows the obstetrician and pregnant woman to create a birth plan which may need to include a delivery by cesarean section if the woman contains high rates of the virus in her blood. The HIV test is very important because a mother can transmit the virus to her newborn baby during delivery when the baby is exposed to his/her mother’s blood. The statistics of mother-to-child transmission are alarming. Twenty-five percent of women who are HIV-positive will infect their babies if they are not treated correctly. If a woman receives proper treatment during her pregnancy, this number goes down to a risk of only one percent. Dr. Judy Levison, a professor of obstetrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Waco, Texas hopes laws like these will substantially reduce the number of mother-to-child HIV transmissions. She states, “No woman should deliver without knowing her HIV status.”

According to Jaimee Grubbs, a twenty-something cocktail waitress who stepped forward saying she was one of Tiger’s mistresses, Tiger never liked to use protection during their sexual encounters. She states, “He didn’t use a condom. It wasn’t even discussed. He just never used one.” Grubbs also mentioned that Tiger never even inquired whether or not Grubbs was using other methods of birth control to protect herself. Evidently, this was a pattern as Mindy Lawton, another one of the alleged mistresses, says they never used condoms during their times together. Lynn, Lawton’s sister, states, “She said he never wore condoms. I was so worried she might catch a disease, especially as we suspected he was promiscuous.” Promiscuous may be an understatement, Lynn.

It does not take an expert in sexual health to know that this type of behavior not only put Woods’ life at risk, but also the lives of his wife Elin Nordegren and their two young sons, Sam (2) and Charlie (10 months). Rhonda Findling, a psychotherapist who penned the book Don’t Call That Man! States, “It’s self-destructive behavior. Sometimes it’s just momentary stupidity, but this seems like sexual addiction.” She says a tell-tale sign that it could be an addiction is the face that he would not even think about protecting himself during these encounters because “the only thing he cared about at that moment was feeling good.”

Lynn Harris who wrote Breakup Girl to the Rescue chimes in, “If you’re having an affair, you’re not all of a sudden going to be responsible. A lot of times, people who have affairs get this attitude, like, ‘I am larger than life – I’m unstoppable. Plus, he has no impulse control, clearly.” Harris also cites the multitude of sexually transmitted diseases that he could have contracted and that ultimately it is Woods’ wife Elin who “is the one paying the price” for these unprotected episodes. Harris goes on to say, “This is the mother of his children, and by doing this, he’s demonstrating that he’s not caring about Elin’s physical or mental health. She’s raising his children, and he’s left her stressed out, humiliated, devastated, destroyed.”

In an effort to compel New York City residents to wear condoms correctly and consistently, the Health Department has distributed free condoms since 1971. In fact, in 2005, the Health Department created a website for community service organizations to order free condoms in bulk. The effort proved to be a tremendous success as condom distribution skyrocketed from 250,000 to 1.5 million with the new initiative. On Valentine’s Day in 2007, NYC set a new precedent with a campaign that featured a NYC Gotham-styled condom wrapper. Within half a year, condom distribution for the city ballooned to an average of more than 3 million condoms each month. A year later, Yves Béhar, a well-known industrial designer, was tasked to create a new look for the NYC Condom as well as dispensers that were placed in over 200 locations throughout the city.

Now, to ramp up condom distribution and to promote the consistent and correct use of condoms in the new decade, the New York City health department is seeking artists from all over to design the new condom wrapper that will be featured on hundreds of thousands of distributed condom wrappers. Talk about getting your name and your art out to a multitude of people in one fell swoop. The entire public is invited to submit their art designs for this limited-edition condom wrapper. The city has been consistent in redesigning the condom wrappers in order to keep the initiative fresh and current. In fact, the campaign has been working like a charm since the number of condoms distributed in 2002 was 3 million and that number has grown to 40 million with Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration. According to the health commissioner, local officials want to “keep people excited” about the condom initiative. The deadline to submit new designs for the condom wrapper is January 22nd.

Since the media began reporting this “three-condom rule,” people have been in a semi-uproar. In fact, over one thousand people came together to create and sign a petition that would allow people to carry three condoms in the D.C. area without worrying whether or not they would be arrested for prostitution. All of this began when an article from RH Reality Check came out that reported on the area’s crackdown on prostitution. In the piece, the co-authors Aziza Ahmed and Brook Kelly stated the within the D.C. area, “Anecdotal evidence suggests that having three or more condoms is considered a proxy for being a sex worker.”

That statement was adjusted a bit when an author from Change.org, Alex Dibranco, referenced the piece and wrote, “Think you might get lucky tonight? Well, if you’re in D.C., don’t bring more than two condoms in your purse, or you could be arrested as a prostitute.” From there, this “three-condom rule” began to hit other websites including Amplify, Feministing and Jezebel where women grew increasingly concerned that carrying condoms in their purses or running out to the local pharmacy to grab some condoms to help promote safe sex could be illegal. Comments ranged from “Don’t many brands sell in 3-packs?” to “So people in long term relationships that decide to stock up are really screwed.”

Is this “three-condom rule” legit? Nope. There ARE areas in the D.C. area that the police force labels as “Prostitution Free Zones.” In these temporary areas, any police officer who suspects that a woman is hanging around and intending to prostitute herself can force that woman to leave. If a woman resists, the officer can legally arrest her. Police officers are also authorized to ask a woman to leave the zone if they recognize her as somebody from a previous offense or if a “reliable source” lets the police know that the woman has been observed as engaging in prostitution. Nowhere in these procedures is there a discussion on contraceptives like condoms.

Gwendolyn Crump, the D.C. spokesperson for the police force, helps clear the air. She says that although carrying a large amount of condoms may appear suspicious to a police officer, there is no rule in effect that states a woman cannot carry more than three condoms. She states, “Although the possession of multiple condoms may be a factor that leads an officer to suspect (reasonable suspicion) that a person is engaged in prostitution, it is not enough to establish probable cause for any crime. Depending on the circumstances, factors such as this may justify an investigative stop—but not an arrest. Essentially, if police cannot arrest someone for having two or more condoms outside a [Prostitution Free Zone], police cannot arrest them for it within a PFZ.”

This health survey was conducted by Nuffield Health, one of the biggest health charities in Britain. Their findings showed that with the emergence of online shopping, ready meals (like frozen meals and fast-food) and remote controls for everything from the television to the radio has caused people to grow lazier and place fitness and their own health as a low priority. Dr. Sarah Dauncey, a medical director with Nuffield Health, states, “The decision to exercise more is important for every individual, for one’s children and, it would appear, for one’s dog, too. If we don’t start to take control of this problem, a whole generation will become too unfit to perform even the most rudimentary of tasks.”

Many found the results from the survey to be very disturbing. For example, some participants actually admitted that they would sit through a television show that they did not like simply because they were too tired to get up and change the channel. Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland, had the lowest scores with 75% of participants answering that they did not exercise during the week. Siobhan McMasters a working mother responded, “The truth is, people in the U.K. work some of the longest hours in Europe. Of course we haven’t time to go to the gym or play with our kids; we’re too busy being overworked.”

The survey had over 2,000 participants and showed some surprising results, like over 35% stating they wouldn’t even jog to catch a bus they were about to miss. Approximately 65% of the respondents admitted being too tired to go out and play games with their children. Overall, Glasgow has a dismal health record compared to the rest of the United Kingdom. In fact, in some regions, the men have a life expectancy of 54. Compare that to a life expectancy of 67 in Iraq and the severity of the problem becomes clear. Much of this can be chalked up to a very poor diet, smoking, alcoholism and poverty. Bill Laidlaw, a 44 year old resident of the city states, “The only thing I’m tired of is being constantly called lazy and unhealthy by the government and doctors. Every week we’re getting knocked by the government, or this survey or that. It’s a free country and perhaps if they spent some money on the ground where it counts rather than these surveys, we’d all be better off.”