World Contraception Day Shows Us Options

Every September 26th we celebrate World Contraception Day, a day dedicated to spreading education about contraceptives (also known as birth control). World Contraception Day started in 2007 as a result of several organizations—including the United Nations and the International Alliance of Women—wanting to build awareness about accessible birth control options. This year’s theme is “A choice for all—agency, intention, access.”

“Pregnancy should happen by choice not by chance,” states the United Nations Population Fund. People use contraception for purposes ranging from helping to prevent unintended pregnancy to relieving painful periods to treating painful acne. Whatever reason someone has for choosing to use contraception, there are different kinds available!

It’s important that teens are knowledgeable about these options and have the opportunity to figure out which type will work best for them. World Contraception Day is a day where efforts to inform, educate and learn about birth control are celebrated.

What Suits You?

Having the knowledge to make an educated decision about what is best for your body can lead to more comfort with your method. Each category of contraception has options. There are long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) like the intrauterine device (IUD), short-acting hormonal methods like the Pill and barrier methods like condoms (internal and external), among others.

Different forms of birth control work better for different people. Considerations include how to access the birth control—do you need a healthcare professional to insert it, can you get it over the counter, etc.? How often do you need to take it or have it replaced—every day, once a month, after a few years? For instance, the Pill needs to be taken at around the same time each day, while an IUD may be left in for several years (it can be removed by a healthcare provider as needed at any time).

Reminder that there is only one type of contraceptive which will prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs): a condom (note that while a dental dam prevents STIs, it’s not effective at preventing pregnancy).

Some of the Options

While the Pill and IUD may be more well-known forms of contraception, there are others. For example, ever hear of the shot, the implant, the patch or the ring? Read on!

The shot is an injection you get every three months and uses the hormone progestin to prevent pregnancy by halting ovulation (when an egg is released). It also works by thickening cervical mucus so sperm cannot get through to fertilize an egg.

The implant is a small, flexible rod (about the size of a matchstick) placed into the upper arm by a healthcare provider. It releases progestin to prevent ovulation. It can work for up to three years before needing to be replaced.

There is also the patch, a small, skin-toned (there are a variety of tones to choose from) sticker which releases estrogen. The patch typically gets placed on the upper back or arm. For it to work properly, you must swap it out weekly at the designated time.

The ring is made of soft, flexible ethylene-vinyl acetate and contains estrogen. It gets inserted into the vagina each month (much like a tampon) and sits just below the cervix.

There are non-hormonal options, too. For instance, while some IUDs contain hormones, the copper IUD does not (copper is a natural sperm-repellant).

Check out this list for more details and options!

Invaluable

Having different choices is invaluable. Everybody deserves the opportunity to learn what works best for them and their body. For instance, as a person with a phobia of needles, I would probably opt for something besides the shot! However, this option might be preferable for a person who wants a “set it and forget it” contraceptive, where they don’t need to remember to take something on a regular basis.

Most people will find a contraceptive that works for them. Having the opportunity to choose lets teens have more say! As for preventing unintended pregnancy—while many teens are not having sex, those who do are entitled to learn about and choose from these options. Many young people also rely on contraception for reasons unrelated to sex and they deserve to know about these health care options as well.

Join us in celebrating World Contraception Day!

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Product Review: Maia Novelties Vaporator

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The Freedom to Read Act: New Jersey’s Ban on Book Bans

Books are way more than just words on a page. Stories can help us make sense of the world, figure out who we are and feel less alone. For teens, this can be especially important. Whether it’s about better understanding our identities, learning about friendships or exploring mental and sexual health, books can provide a safe space to learn without being judged.

Book bans have long been a tactic used to limit and censor information, but they’ve been on the rise in recent years. Factors for this include the influence and reach of social media and pressures from small but vocal minority conservative groups.

This is why New Jersey’s recent decision to take a stance against book bans is such a big deal.

Ensuring Access to Books

The Freedom to Read Act, passed by NJ lawmakers in late 2024, guarantees that NJ schools and libraries can’t ban books just because someone thinks they’re offensive. With this law, books cannot be removed based on the origin, background or views they represent. The act “prevents arbitrary book banning and protects the rights of students, parents and communities to have free access to age-appropriate books and learning materials at schools and public libraries,” according to an official statement. Importantly, it also provides protection for library staff members against lawsuits and harassment related to complying with this law.

Local school boards and public libraries are now required by law to create policies for managing library materials, which includes a review process to handle any concerns about those materials, ensuring a consistent way to review any complaints, as opposed to an automatic expectation to remove something based on someone’s reaction.

Organizations like the Department of Education, the State Librarian, the New Jersey Association of School Librarians and the New Jersey School Boards Association will help in setting up these policies.

Impact on Teen Health

Book bans can affect young people in significant ways. A lot of titles that people have banned or attempted to ban deal with topics like race, sexual identity, gender identity and mental health. In fact, of the most common banned books of the 2023-2024 U.S. school year, 36 percent feature characters of color and 25 percent feature LGBTQ+ characters, according to PEN America, an organization that protects the free expression to read and write. In addition, 10 percent feature characters who are neurodivergent or disabled.

Lack of access to books with diverse characters can lead to feelings of isolation, stemming from not having role models or anyone with a similar culture or experience to read about. Book bans shut down important discussions and can make teens feel like their experiences are invalid or not worth understanding.

Topics like the ones mentioned above affect many people, but teens may not always feel comfortable discussing or exploring them with others. They may feel confusion or shame asking questions. Being able to read honest and trustworthy information can make a huge difference.

Plus, books that talk about sexual health can give accurate details about things like consent, relationships and safer sex. If teens don’t have access to these kinds of resources, they might look for information in places that aren’t trustworthy. Or, they might feel embarrassed about their questions and not know where to turn.

Standing Up to Censorship

New Jersey’s decision to protect the right to read is part of a larger trend. It follows other states which have created or initiated similar laws in response to the rise in book bans. These bans often focus on books written by or about marginalized groups, sending a harmful message that these voices don’t belong.

With the Freedom to Read Act, NJ is empowering readers and standing up against censorship. The law highlights the importance of access to different ideas and perspectives.

The Freedom to Read Act shows NJ teens that their state cares about their ability to discover, learn and develop without facing unnecessary obstacles or feeling ashamed of their desire to know and understand more about themselves and others.

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LGBTQ+ Trailblazer Kathy Kozachenko’s Historic Win

Have you ever heard of Kathy Kozachenko? On April 2, 1974, she made history by becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ person to be elected to public office.

At the time, she was a 21-year-old college student, studying at the University of Michigan. She won an Ann Arbor City Council seat as a member of the Human Rights Party. But despite this massive achievement, she isn’t widely known.

Why does her story matter? Because she showed that activism doesn’t have to wait. Her political career was the result of her desire to challenge injustice from a young age.

Your voice, as a young person, matters, and you too can bring about political change!

Early Influences

Kozachenko did not come from a politically-involved family. But like many teens, she started paying attention to the world around her, and didn’t like a lot of what she saw. It was the 1960s, and she was inspired by leaders like Robert F. Kennedy, an advocate for civil rights and the 64th attorney general of the U.S., and movements like that of the United Farm Workers (UFW), which fought for better treatment of farm laborers.

When her father didn’t let her join UFW picket lines, she helped organize a meeting in her hometown and invited a farm worker to come speak.

After arriving as a student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Kozachenko wanted to join an organization that aligned with her beliefs. She discovered the Human Rights Party, a statewide party focused on civil rights, anti-war efforts and economic justice, including fighting for tenant’s rights and labor unions. They also supported progressive movements like those for gay liberation, feminism and Black Power.

It was here that she decided to run for office.

Campaigning for Change

Kozachenko’s campaign focused on the need for funding social service programs and supporting other social issues. She wanted city funds to benefit all people, not just the powerful.

Kozachenko also advocated for more policies to protect women’s and gay rights. She was a staunch supporter of students’ rights, and she proposed a bill that protected student protestors’ First Amendment rights by limiting police power to arrest them without cause.

Still, many people don’t know her name. Kozachenko being the first openly gay person to run for and successfully win office was groundbreaking. Yet more often, people credit Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist who held a seat on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, with being the first openly gay person in office. But he wouldn’t be elected until 1977, three years after Kozachenko.

Her Legacy Today

Kozachenko’s story is incredibly powerful now, when young people continue to be on the front lines of change. Whether it’s the fight for racial equity, reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ protections or against authoritarianism and climate change, many of the issues Kozachenko cared about are still the issues we’re talking about today.

Rent is still unaffordable for many Americans. LGBTQ+ rights have come under increasing attacks from the current administration. Protestors are still being arrested for peacefully standing up for what they believe in.

Despite all this, young people are stepping up and calling for change, just as Kozachenko did. “I feel it is more important than ever to be active,” Kozachenko told the National League of Cities on nlc.org in 2024. “In today’s political climate, many hard-won rights that protect women, LGBTQ+ people and other minority groups are being overturned.”

Kathy Kozachenko is living proof that you don’t have to be older, rich or extremely powerful to make a difference. You just have to try!

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Effects of Time on Sex

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