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NEWS FROM POWER TO DECIDE

Get Ready to Go Back to School

Whether you have a young one getting ready for another school year or you’re a young adult looking forward to stepping out on your own for the first time at college, conversations about consent, sex, love, relationships, and ultimately birth control and health care are always important. Because when young people have the facts, they can make informed decisions and live their best life. Check out #TalkingIsPower for all our resources on how to spark meaningful conversations about these important topics.

Explore a World Where Birth Control is Over the Counter

What would over-the-counter access to the birth control look like? A new, interactive virtual store invites visitors to wander through a world where birth control is available over the counter, covered by insurance, with no age restrictions. Dreamt up by members of the #FreethePill campaign’s youth council, in the virtual store you can see the pill on the shelves next to tampons, allergy pills, cold and flu medication, and all of the other basics we don’t think twice about buying whenever we need them. Read more about the store as well as the campaign in this new blog.

Power Talk: Policy Edition

On October 5, at 1 p.m. ET, join our CEO, Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley and two special guests will come together for a conversation about threats to accessing reproductive health care. Moderated by Ms. Magazine, you can watch the talk live on Facebook.

One Key Question by the Numbers

Nearly 500 providers have taken our One Key Question (OKQ) online training since it became available in the Fall of 2020. Nearly all participants (97%) said they learned new information and strategies that could be applied to their work or practice and nine in 10 (89%) said the intend to implement OKQ where they work. More than three in four said they were "very engaged" throughout the training experience and nearly all said they are now "very confident" in listing strategies to identify and address unconscious bias and promote reproductive autonomy.

Learn more about OKQ and sign up for the OKQ and the companion Pathways to Care trainings online.

Our Newest Power Player

We’re committed to uplifting the many individuals championing the effort to support young people’s reproductive well-being. This month’s power player is Forrest Alton, Power to Decide Board Member. Read his story.

POLICY UPDATES

Your Voice Needed to Increase Access for Evidence-based Sex Education and Contraceptive Access

September signals the beginning of the school year for many, but it’s actually the end of the federal government’s fiscal year. So, while young people around the country are setting educational goals for themselves, Congress finds itself cramming for a proverbial final exam. At this pivotal time of year, we need Congress to provide robust funding for programs that give our young people the ability to live healthy lives and achieve their goals; programs like the evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program and the Title X (Title X) Family Planning Program. Members of Congress need to hear from constituents like you about the value of these programs. Please contact your members of Congress today. Take Action on the TPP Program / Take Action on Title X.

Getting Ready for States 2022 Legislative Sessions

Most state legislatures are no longer in session. That means it’s a great time to begin building, or strengthening, relationships with other stakeholders, enlisting champions, and positioning your organization as a resource. It’s not only legislators who are gearing up for the next session. Executive agencies are developing budgets and policy ideas, so make sure you have a voice in the process. Make sure you know what policies exist in your state. Visit our Advancing Contraceptive Access Toolkit to see where your state stands on a number of contraceptive access policies, as well as telehealth policies that can facilitate access to contraception.

We also continue to add state-specific contraceptive landscape fact sheets to our Advancing Contraceptive Access Toolkit. We encourage you to share our most recent additions, Alabama and North Dakota, with your networks and to help us amplify on social media.

POWER UPDATES

Click here to see the top publications and articles on sexual health published in the last month.

GENEROUS SUPPORT FOR OUR WORK

We would like to extend our gratitude to Bayer’s Women’s Health Group for supporting Power to Decide with their virtual “We’re for Her” charity walk/run. Contributions raised through this campaign are matched by Bayer, doubling the support of generous participating individuals. We are so grateful for your partnership!

Join others dedicated to ensuring all young people have the power to decide their futures by making a donation today.

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