This month marks the 90th Anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States and it’s looking more and more like time for another Suffrage Parade.
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From today’s perspective, it’s hard to imagine a medical breakthrough so monumental that it would be known universally as “the Pill.” But that’s exactly what happened fifty years ago this month when the Advisory Committee of the FDA approved the first oral contraceptive for use as birth control. It was, indeed, monumental. [Continue Reading...]

It sounds like a conspiracy plot straight out of a Margaret Atwood novel. Within a course of two weeks, mostly behind closed doors, politicians, bureaucrats and trustees strip reproductive health coverage from insurance plans covering thousands of female employees. It sounds like fantasy fiction but the assault on reproductive healthcare coverage in North Carolina is all too real. [Continue Reading...]

If a thirteen year old enrolls in 8th grade Spanish, should her parents fear she’ll start packing her bags for Madrid as soon as the semester is over? Not likely. Yet opponents of comprehensive sex education often use similar reasoning in their opposition to allowing schools in North Carolina to offer it. [Continue Reading...]

It was a snow day like no other. With schools and businesses closed, a record number of North Carolinians tuned in to watch the 44th President sworn in to office. For many viewers, the day ushered in a belief that we can finally move beyond the entrenched differences that divide us. [Continue Reading...]

Recently, Americans celebrated the 88th Anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States. One hundred and forty-four years after the founding of this country, women-representing more than half the population and having birthed the other half-won the right to vote. [Continue Reading...]

Kissing babies makes for a great photo op when politicians are on the campaign trail. Most legislators claim to care about children. But what happens when young people are beyond the age of a photo op, when their behavior is less than cherubic or when their needs run counter to a legislator’s personal beliefs? [Continue Reading...]

For a senior in high school, there is no greater season than spring. Warm weather and trees in bloom seem to coincide with a 12th grader’s growing sense of triumph and potential. Prom night, family celebrations and high school graduation are only days away. Her future is filled with promise or, at least, that’s how it should be. [Continue Reading...]

By Paige Johnson , Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina What do North Carolina’s signature Smart Start and More at Four programs for preschoolers have in common with comprehensive sex education? All three efforts do what sound public policy is intended to do. They make wise use of our investment in preparing young people for [Continue Reading...]