Cami’s Corner is a weekly column discussing issues that pertain to the student body. Come back every Wednesday for a new post!

Our teenage years mark a coming- of- age rite of passage for us, The Talk. This is not the conversation on how important it is to receive additional education after high school, but the fateful sex talk. Recently there has been a lot of media coverage on Planned Parenthood (PP) and the possibility of the government defunding the reproductive health care organization. Many pro-birth individuals support the defunding in hopes of preventing abortions within the US.  However, defunding PP will do nothing to stop abortions. According to the Hyde Amendment, the usage of government funds for abortions is prohibited by law. What exactly is being defunded then? Instead of abortions, this decision will affect all individuals who turn to PP for help with testing for sexually transmitted diseases/infections, cancer screenings, contraception, and so on. Although PP is well known for its abortion services, it does provide key resources at a low cost. The defunding of PP is an attack on all of us.

According to a survey conducted by the CDC, 34 percent of the high school students who answered it had sexual intercourse within the past three months, 41 percent of those students did not use a condom the last time they engaged in sexual intercourse. In addition to this, only 22 percent of the students had ever been tested for HIV. Sex Ed, with more emphasis placed on safe sex than on abstinence is detrimental to our society. According to a study carried out by the University of Washington with data from the CDC and National Survey of Family Growth, by comparing comprehensive sex education and abstinence only programs, it was found that comprehensive sex ed programs were associated with a 50 percent lower risk of teen pregnancy. Such an important service is provided by PP, and may now be stripped away from us. This debate on the defunding of PP doesn’t only affect the women seeking abortions.This affects all of us, regardless of whether we are sexually active or not. It is important to utilize the resources given to us at affordable costs in order to ensure our wellbeing. Advocating on behalf of organizations such as PP is in demand and  it is up to us to secure the rights of not only us, but future generations to come as well.