Pregnancy & Dropouts

After watching season two of 16 & Pregnant, I noticed how difficult it is to finish school while pregnant. In the episode with Emily, you can see how hard it is to finish your high school education. I felt really bad for Emily because her parents said she was a straight "A" student. However, she got pregnant and her school wouldn't let her graduate. Her school issued a rule that if you miss more than two weeks of school, then you can't graduate. Therefore, Emily pulled herself out of school and turned to home schooling. At first, it seemed as if Emily was going to be able to finish on time with the work that was given to her by her home school advisor. But, things were a lot harder than they looked. After the pregnancy, Emily had to turn to her step mom to babysit so she could catch up on her behind readings. Emily's goal was to go to college and her grades proved that it would have happened. However, with a baby now Emily will have to take a break from school altogether. According to “The Silent Epidemic,” a recently released study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 26 percent of students who dropped out of high school did so because they became a parent. Almost 50 percent of those who dropped out said they became disengaged because school had little relevance to their lives.When a young person drops out of school before graduating, we all lose. We lose the contributions these students could make as productive and educated workers and we end up paying much more for welfare programs and prisons. Studies show students who drop out of high school are more likely to rely on public assistance and become involved in the criminal justice system. The tragedy of lost potential tends to be passed on to the next generation as well. According to “When Girls Don’t Graduate, We All Fail,” a new study by the National Women’s Law Center, children of teenage mothers who drop out of high school are also more likely to leave school before receiving their diplomas.

http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2008/05/08/reduce-teen-pregnancies-to-reduce-the-dropout-rate/

HPV...it's more common than you think!

Hey Ladies! I decided to go off lecture and discuss the topic of STDS but more importantly to go off of the most common one I've at least heard about, HPV. 


When I went to the doctor back in June for a recent checkup and pap smear, I asked my doctor what the most common STD was in patients that she has seen around my age (20). As we discussed more, she told me how the most common STD in women in there teens and early twenties is HPV. I wasn't really sure what HPV was, but knew that I had heard of friends of mine having it. My doctor told me that 80% of women before the age of 30 will get HPV at some point in their lives. Although this number seems outrageous, my doctor went on to say that most of the time the HPV virus will go away with time. In addition, some women will never know they even had it unless they were to get tested. Being in college and knowing some people have had multiple partners, I was a little bit nervous/scared. What I found out too was that a lot of men have HPV but never get tested. Therefore, the person you could be sleeping with might have HPV and not even know it themselves. The worse part, you would have no idea either. HPV is one of the hardest STDs to decipher. It doesn't produce blisters, herpes, rashes, etc. It's pretty much invisible and odorless! HPV, according to the CDC, is a very common sexually transmitted disease infecting about 6 million people a year. It's estimated that 50 percent of sexually active men and women have been exposed at some point in their lives. In the majority of infections, our body's immune system takes care of it without any treatment. However, the same way certain strains of the virus get into cells of the cervix and change them into cancerous cells, it can also happen with the cells in the mouth and throat when exposed during oral sex. Although HPV can have serious effects, the symptoms are pretty much NOTHING! 


After my doctor visit, I immediately was interested in getting the Gardasil shot. The shot consisted of 3 doses and can protect you from getting the HPV virus or washing it out of your system if you already have it. I also learned, if you choose to have vaginal or anal intercourse, use condoms EVERY time. They can reduce the risk of HPV. They are not as effective against HPV as they are against other infections such as chlamydia and HIV. But they greatly reduce the risk of HPV infection. You can use condoms, Sheer Glyde dams, dental dams, or plastic wrap during oral sex to further reduce the risk.


I hate talking about scary things like this, but I think it's so important to let people know the statistics on how common this STD is. If you take the initiative to be more responsible while having sex, you're chances of catching the virus is very slim. Let's all practice safe sex and spread the word!


http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/stds-hiv-safer-sex/hpv-4272.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leigh-vinocur-md/oral-sex-cancer_b_850066.html


3 WEEKS TIL SUMMER!


-Olivia Arns

Just a lil' somthing...

Hey, Ladies! Monday's lecture on heteronormativity reminded me of a story I wanted to share with you. I also found something just as relevant earlier today. Enjoy!

http://www.myprincessboy.com/index.asp
(Watch the attached stories/interviews with the child and his mother if you have time-- the book came as a result of their experiences.)

Also...


http://jezebel.com/#!5791323/boys-nailpolish-starts-non+debate

-Maddie Byrne