May has traditionally been known as Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, a month to celebrate the progress made in preventing teen pregnancies. The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) even has the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPP) which is a national, evidence-based program that funds diverse organizations working to prevent teen pregnancy across the United States. “While there has been great progress in reducing teen pregnancy, the teen birth rate of 18.8 per 1,000 females ages 15–19 in 2017¹ is still much higher than other Western industrialized nations.”

Data by SEICUS https://siecus.org/state-profiles-2019-2020/

Awesome organizations, and youth around the world, are advocating for comprehensive sex education to be provided in all school systems. The  American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists describes Comprehensive Sexuality Education as the following:

·        Comprehensive sexuality education should be medically accurate, evidence-based, and age-appropriate, and should include the benefits of delaying sexual intercourse, while also providing information about normal reproductive development, contraception (including long-acting reversible contraception methods) to prevent unintended pregnancies, as well as barrier protection to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

·        Comprehensive sexuality education should begin in early childhood and continue through a person’s lifespan.

·        Programs should not only focus on reproductive development (including abnormalities in development, such as primary ovarian insufficiency and müllerian anomalies), prevention of STIs, and unintended pregnancy, but also teach about forms of sexual expression, healthy sexual and nonsexual relationships, gender identity and sexual orientation and questioning, communication, recognizing and preventing sexual violence, consent, and decision making.

So, in an effort fight for better sex education in the United States, as well as de-shame Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, SIECUS, Healthy Teen Network, Advocates for Youth, Power to Decide and Planned Parenthood, created a positive, affirming spin by renaming this awareness month to Sex Ed For All Month!

“Because here’s the thing: The goal of an awareness month like this is not to tell young people if, when, or how they should (or should not) become parents. Rather, it’s to give young people the INFORMATION they need to make those types of decisions for themselves.” -SIECUS

"The Council aims to provide the information and assist you in accessing the health care you need to exercise personal choice in the number and spacing of children. Wyoming Title X clinics provide comprehensive, high-quality family planning and reproductive health services that women and men need to act responsibly, stay healthy and plan their families."

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Despite calls for expediency from several entities, such as The National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA), the Biden Administration and HHS have yet to reverse the final rule, also known as the “domestic gag rule.” “The rule requires that Title X providers withhold certain information about abortion from pregnant patients, even if the patient wants that information, and requires providers to inform patients about non-abortion options, even if a patient does not want or need them. *”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed a new rule to revise the Title X family planning program regulations. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), entitled “Ensuring access to equitable, affordable, client-centered, quality family planning services," will be open for comment for 30 days through May 17, 2021. HHS welcomes public comment on this proposed rule.

 The Biden Administrations proposal notes that the new rule would readopt regulations established in 2000 with modifications aimed at ensuring “access to equitable, affordable, client-centered, quality family planning services for all clients, especially for low-income clients.” Which is important as the American Medical Association commented that “Ultimately, continued enforcement of the 2019 rule raises the possibility of a two-tiered health care system in which those with insurance and full access to healthcare receive full medical information and referrals, while low-income populations with fewer opportunities for care are relegated to inferior access."

Located in Gillette, Wyoming, Gillette Reproductive Health provides affordable healthcare with no surprise billing! Appointments are timely. We can help you make healthy choices. Our staff can help answer your reproductive health questions and get you the care you need. GRH has staff that speaks Spanish!