Purity Balls...

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1823930,00.html?xid=newsletter-weekly

Maybe you've already heard about "purity balls," maybe not, but either way, you should check out this thoughtful article from Time magazine on the subject. Nancy Gibbs does a nice job of offering a balanced perspective on this phenomenon that some of us may find a little bit creepy.

I'd say I still have objections to the way the events are structured, the focus on sex as impure, and the limiting of the participants to girls and fathers (what about boys and mothers?). However, this article points out that many of the dads present are there to commit themselves to being a positive, involved presence in their daughters' lives, rather than leaving all the raising of their children to the mothers of their children. Also, I think that abstinence is a perfectly respectable and healthy choice, and I hope that Gibbs' conclusion including the importance of education and respect for teens' agency is part of the message imparted by these events.

Interesting...what do you think?

the only bush i trust is my own.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/washington/15rule.html?scp=1&sq=NARAL&st=cse

So, President Bush is still trying to screw over women, this time with proposed regulations that would limit federal funds to healthcare providers who didn't agree to hire employees despite their objection to birth control. Let's hope this never becomes an actual regulation, and that women who need birth control and emergency contraception don't have to face even more obstacles to getting it.

See the post on NARAL's blog for more info: http://www.blogforchoice.com/archives/2008/07/another-day-ano.html