As reported in The Denver Post on Sunday August 22, Bruce Randolph School has begun distributing contraception including condoms, birth-control pills and emergency contraception to students whose parents have signed them up for services at the school-based health centers.

This important move, supported by 90 percent of Bruce Randolph parents who voted on the issue in a March schoolwide meeting, prioritizes the health, wellness and academic success of students.

The Healthy Colorado Youth Alliance supports the decision of the parents and staff at Bruce Randolph and believes that adequate access to comprehensive sexuality education, resources and services is essential for creating a student body of informed youth making responsible decisions and leading healthy lives.

To read The Denver Post article, click here.

From the Family Violence Prevention Fund
Jul 1, 2010

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women living in urban areas are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to report: non-voluntary first sexual intercourse, unintended and teen pregnancies, unprotected first sex, and first sex with older partners. Those are among the findings from a new study from the Urban Indian Health Institute.

The report calls the high rates of sexual violence experienced by urban AI/AN women “intolerable.” It recommends that “the context in which sexual violence occurs for urban AI/AN communities must be examined closely to learn how to promote justice and address the underlying issues.”

Urban AI/AN women who had been forced to have sexual intercourse were more likely than non-Hispanic whites to have initiated sex at a young age. Lead researcher Shira Rutman told USA Today that this was “a sign of early risky behavior.”

The report, Reproductive Health of Urban American Indian and Alaska Native Women, recommends more youth-focused programming that addresses unintended pregnancy, poor birth outcomes and sexually transmitted infections, since risk factors were found to occur especially among young urban AI/AN women. Ralph Forquera, director of the Urban Indian Health Institute, said the findings show the importance of having culturally appropriate health information available. “Funding is needed for these programs to assure that they are most effective in addressing the issues outlined in this report,” he said.

To read the full article, click here.