In yet another attempt to devastate reproductive healthcare, House Republicans recently reintroduced the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 36), which would criminalize the performance of abortions later than 20 weeks in a pregnancy. The House passed this bill on October 3 (with a vote split directly along party lines), and if it passes the Senate, it will be incredibly detrimental to everyone’s access to reproductive healthcare. This bill is not new. The Republicans in Congress have been attempting to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act since 2013, and the bill passed the House and died in the Senate three times before the most recent House vote on October 3. Follo

Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are fake clinics that appear to provide services, resources, and information on reproductive health, but in reality exist to discourage pregnant people from choosing abortion through deception, emotional manipulation, and outright lies. Over the past two weeks, members of the H*yas for Choice advocacy team called crisis pregnancy centers in our community to ask for resources and information on abortion services. These are the full transcripts of the calls. Northwest Pregnancy Center: Unprotected sex The Northwest Center: Good afternoon, Northwest Center H*yas for Choice: Hi, I’m calling to learn about some of your resources. I had unprotected sex last night an

Over the past two weeks, members of the H*yas for Choice advocacy team called crisis pregnancy centers in our community to ask for resources and information on abortion services. Here, those who made the calls describe their experiences and HFC members debunk the myths. Northwest Pregnancy Center: Unprotected sex I called Northwest Pregnancy Center to ask about my options following unprotected sex. After disclosing that I’d had unprotected sex the night before, I was told that urine-based tests are most effective after 7-10 days since conception and encouraged to get tested in “a few days.” When I asked directly about abortion, I was told that they the center will provide “information” and “

I recently had unprotected anal sex. Taking the different incubation periods for STIs into consideration, how long should I wait to get reliable STI testing? The shortest answer here is that you should talk with your doctor or a clinic, like Whitman Walker, within 72 hours of having unprotected sex if you believe that your partner might be able to transmit HIV (i.e. not on PrEP and HIV-positive). This will allow you to begin Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), which is about 80-90% effective at preventing an HIV infection. The slightly longer answer is that you should wait three months (90 days) before testing in order to get the most reliable possible test results. The longest STI to incubate

As I was walking through red square two weeks ago, I came across a chalking that read: “Unborn Lives Matter.” Here are my thoughts: Tiara Richmond. Tamir Rice. Alphonza Watson. Chay Reed. Chyna Doll Dupree. If there is one thing that white right-winged individuals love other than being racist, it is co-opting our movements and language - specifically that of the Black Lives Matter movement (or the Movement for Black Lives). It is not only disrespectful, but it is also ignorant and inaccurate to chalk “unborn lives matter,” as it does not even align with the movement’s politics or mission. In fact, the Black Lives Matter movement partners with Trust Black Women who share beliefs on reproducti

*Content warning: sexual violence, police violence* I walked out of the bathroom and put my clothes back on. My arms and body chafed from the ropes he tied me with, and I was bit worried someone would see the marks when I walked outside. I’d never done bondage before, but I was willing to if— “Here’s a small gift.” He placed the $200 in my hands and hastily walked off. At last, my first payment. *** Sex work was nothing new to me, but I had only started doing it until last summer. For over a year I wrestled with the idea. Where do I go? A bathhouse? K Street? 14th Street? A gay bar? Craigslist? Seeking Arrangement? I knew the strolls, I knew the locations. The real question was “So when then

Welcome to Ask Ang, your anonymous campus sexual health resource, brought to you by H*yas for Choice. We are made up of a team of undergraduate students who work to answer your sex questions! We post questions and answers weekly on Sundays. Anyone can submit a question, and the anonymous form can be found here: www.tinyurl.com/askang. 1. Cis female here. How do I limit "queefing" during sex? “Queefing,” or the passage of air through the vaginal canal, can happen during penetrative sex because air get pushed into the vagina (by fingers, a penis, or a toy), and the vagina expels the air afterwards. Unfortunately, there isn’t a ton you can do to prevent it. You can choose sex positions that don

October is, according to the pale blue banner displayed proudly in Red Square, "Respect Life Month." I find that funny because, as I walk through the chalk writings on the brick -- "Can I feel your clump of tissue kick? Said no one ever" -- I feel everything but respect for my choices. My stomach twists as each pro-life slogan I tread on brings back memories I've tried to move past. But there I am again. It's early August in the first floor White Gravenor bathroom and I'm desperately trying to convince my eyes they're not seeing two pink lines. I text the Health Education Services pregnancy hotline and am assured that the test is negative despite the pregnancy test packaging and my internet

Welcome to Ask Ang, your anonymous campus sexual health resource, brought to you by H*yas for Choice. We are made up of a team of undergraduate students who work to answer your sex questions! We post questions and answers weekly on Sundays (or, occasionally, like today, on Mondays). Anyone can submit a question, and the anonymous form can be found here: www.tinyurl.com/askang. 1. What happened with the birth control mandate? On Friday, the Trump administration announced the rollback of the contraceptive mandate under the Affordable Care Act, putting at risk access to care for over 62 million women who were able to get contraceptive care under the mandate. Back in the beginning of the summer

Do you have a sex question but too embarrassed to ask someone you know? Tired of spending hours making oddly specific Cosmo searches? Fear no more! H*yas for Choice is proud to present Ask Ang! Ask Ang is your anonymous campus peer sexual health and relationships resource. We work to answer your questions and provide you with information about sexual health resources on campus and in the DC area, as well as links to online resources. We are not medical professionals. We’re undergraduate students (like you probably are). Consider us your ~experienced~ older sibling, camp counselor, or roommate whose mom is a nurse. So send us all your unusual, embarrassing, confusing sex questions and let us