contraception

(Newser) - An expanded "right of conscience" rule for medical workers planned by the Bush administration could hand Barack Obama a major battle over medical ethics, the Los Angeles Times reports. Doctors and nurses can already legally refuse to perform abortions, but the new rule would allow any health care worker to opt out of procedures they find morally objectionable. The rule could possibly include artificial insemination or birth control. More »

(Newser) - Britain's Boy Scouts may soon be as prepared for healthy sex as they are for camping and woodworking, reports the Guardian . Counselors will discuss sexual health with Scouts, may even hand out condoms to prevent unprotected sex, and take their boys on visits to clinics under new guidelines to be issued today by the Scout Association primarily for boy ages 14 to 18. The association has some 400,000 members, 85% of them boys. More »

(Newser) - Condoms may be reliable, but they’re so last century, prompting scientists to develop a new arsenal of high-tech male contraceptives, the London Times reports. One device, the tiny “fertility control micro-valve,” is injected into a duct to let men control sperm flow using a remote-controlled key fob, while another uses ultrasound waves to heat the testes and thwart sperm production. More »

(Newser) - Sarah Palin and John McCain differ on sex education, with Palin favoring both contraceptive and abstinence education in schools—while McCain and the GOP platform support teaching abstinence only, the Los Angeles Times observes. “I'm pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues,” Palin said in 2006, before her teen daughter became pregnant. More »

(Newser) - Doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care workers would have the right to refuse to provide abortion services, contraception or even information on preventing or ending pregnancies under a controversial new regulation issued by the Bush administration. The proposed rule would force hospitals, clinics and other health care providers to accommodate employees' moral objections or lose federal funding, reports the Washington Post .   More »

(Newser) - Once exclusive to the over-40 crowd, vasectomies are increasingly popular among young men who want condom-free sex and no fears of Daddydom. But there's also a control component, writes Richard Morgan in Details : These men are taking charge of birth control, not leaving it up to the woman. "I don't have to worry about being tricked," says one snipped man. More »

(Newser) - The mayor of Gloucester says there’s no proof that teenage girls in the Massachusetts town made a pact to have babies together, the AP reports. The principal of Gloucester High School, where a bizarre spate of 17 girls got pregnant this year, was quoted in Time saying the girls had conspired to conceive. But the principal can’t remember his source of information, the mayor says. More »

(Newser) - A pact among teenage girls to get pregnant has resulted in 17 pregnancies at a single Massachusetts high school—and sparked a debate in the conservative Catholic fishing town about birth control and available career options, reports Time magazine. Officials began to get wise to the secret pact when girls flooded the high school clinic for pregnancy tests last fall—and high-fived each other after positive results. More »

(Newser) - Nearly half of all US pregnancies are accidents, a new survey shows. The risk of unintended pregnancy is especially high for women unsatisfied with their contraceptive method, says the report, released by a think tank on reproductive issues. The problem isn't laziness or absent-mindedness, reports the Boston Globe —it's a complex combination of attitudes, habits, and other factors. More »

(Newser) - Tony Blair's public revelation in 2002 that his wife had suffered a miscarriage halted rumors that his delayed vacation meant the Iraq invasion was imminent—but also appalled Cherie Blair, reports the Times of London . The former PM’s wife unveils some major revelations in her new autobiography, including that the Blairs conceived a child while visiting the queen: The ex-first lady didn’t pack contraceptives because she was embarrassed to take them through royal security. More »

(Newser) - With pop music blaring and a roaring crowd, Yankee Stadium might have easily been hosting a rock concert today, reports the New York Times, rather than the rock star of Catholicism. The object of the adoration of 60,000 was Pope Benedict XVI, who finished up his US tour by celebrating the New York diocese's 200th anniversary and calling for Catholic unity in his homily. More »

(Newser) - Teen pregnancy is down and more unmarried 20-somethings are getting pregnant in America, Reuters reports. A 2004 federal study also shows that more unmarried women are keeping their babies, except among blacks. Why the drop in teen pregnancies? "There is some evidence that contraceptive use was increasing among teenagers through 2002," one researcher said. More »

(Newser) - Crafty Oregon urologists are boosting their vasectomy clinic business at a time of year when a lot of men are on the sofa anyway, the Oregonian reports. A weekend of NCAA basketball tournament action allows just about enough time to recuperate from the surgery. "When March Madness approaches, you need an excuse to stay at home in front of the big screen," says a radio ad for the clinic. More »