Toggle Menu

I Have Sex

Students speak out on the critical role that Planned Parenthood plays in their lives.

The Nation

June 26, 2011

The following video was created by the student members of Wesleyan University’s UNCUT chapter, and offers an effective, amusing and, ultimately moving example of what a critical role Planned Parenthood plays in the lives of so many young people coast to coast.

This message from the student creators of the video explain their goals:

"In order to ‘balance the budget,’ the House of Representatives recently announced the intention to strip all federal funding to Planned Parenthood. This is unacceptable. It’s time to face reality: many young people have sex, and need to know how to stay safe and healthy. Even those who have chosen to wait still need to know how to be safe and healthy when begin their sexual activity. 

This extreme ideological measure threatens our youth’s ability to choose their own future. In many parts of America, Planned Parenthood is the only place young people can go to learn about safe sex, access contraceptives, or have a simple question about "down there" answered. With all the rhetoric centering on ‘government waste,’ Congress’s refusal to close multi-billion dollar corporate tax loopholes and instead eliminate essential, multi-million dollar sexual health programs is beyond hypocritical. We are starting a student movement to make sure elected leaders know: Americans have sex, and we stand with Planned Parenthood." 

The NationTwitterFounded by abolitionists in 1865, The Nation has chronicled the breadth and depth of political and cultural life, from the debut of the telegraph to the rise of Twitter, serving as a critical, independent, and progressive voice in American journalism.


Latest from the nation