On January 7, the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) made the welcome announcement that it had added the first clinical trial of a microbicide for women living with HIV to its research portfolio.
UNAIDS released a report in advance of World AIDS Day with hopeful news about the epidemic: there has been nearly a 50 percent reduction in new infections across 25 low and middle income countries. As UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe put it, “We are moving from despair to hope.” Young people are at the center of that success.
I am not against PrEP. But I am against its domination of today’s HIV prevention discourse. We have huge barriers to address, and putting all of our eggs in the PrEP baskets may allow us to circumvent some of them, but without social, structural, and behavioral intervention, it will not create the real change that needs to happen in communities around the globe to address this epidemic and future ones.
For too many, accessing health care is a challenge. Integrating reproductive health and HIV/AIDS services–providing both services under one roof–makes it easier for women to get what they need.
A New York Times article looks at how parents do (and should) react when their children inevitably see Internet pornography, an FDA advisory panel recommends approving a drug for HIV-prevention, and Massachusetts cuts over $1 million from its HIV-prevention and testing program in county jails.
In the years ahead, Advocates will continue to be a dynamic leader in promoting the rights of youth to information, education, and services. I am deeply committed to our current, innovative work expanding adolescent access to contraception domestically and internationally; fighting homophobia in schools and communities across the United States; and using our policy work on the Hill and with the administration to advance the goals of our state and local partners.
The involvement of women and girls, sex workers, persons who use drugs, men who have sex with men (MSM), and young people is crucial to the achieving the goal of zero new HIV infections by 2015.
40 Days for Life is suing a library who declined to show an anti-abortion documentary that would disrupt normal library functions, could allowing HIV-positive people donate organs save lives, and three cheers for the NBA and WNBA for AIDS education!
A new rectal gel shows promise at reducing transmission of HIV when applied before anal sex, Elton John speaks out against American sex ed, Nebraska lawmakers don’t want rape and incest victims to have access to private insurance-covered abortions, and a condom fashion show at USC.
Alaska won’t see ballot initiative to make abortion illegal, NC state representative makes asinine comment on HIV/AIDS, ADF sues Vanderbilt nursing program, Planned Parenthood of Indiana responds to Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)’s plan to deny Title X funding.
