For the past week, I've been finalizing the content on my webpages. This involves a lot of fact-checking, comparing information and advice from a variety of sites, and trying to find as much raw data as I can. Since I'm not a licensed or trained peer advocate, I rely on secondary sources on existing websites designed for individuals in their teens / early 20's. The websites that I visit most often (and I strongly recommend that anyone interested in sex ed check them out as well) are in no particular order:

•  Bedsider - a great resource on birth control methods with segments on dispelling myths surrounding sexual health
• Scarleteen - an incredibly thorough resource on birth control and sexual health advice, though sifting through all the material can be a bit overwhelming
• StayTeen - a much more condensed version of Scarleteen and Bedsider; has short and concise summaries of birth control methods
• PlannedParenthood - an accurate and thorough resource on birth control methods

One aspect of my website that I am aiming to make more unique than other sex ed sites is information specific to Tucson with an intent to eventually expand this to the entire Pima County region. For information on teen pregnancy and STI transmission in Pima County, I've relied on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which provides detailed annual studies, the Guttmacher Institute which has compiled state policies on contraception, and the Arizona Department of Health Services which records information on a county-to-county basis. From these two sources, I've discovered that Pima County specifically has among the highest rates of syphilis and chlamydia infections among teenagers in Arizona. I've also been looking into local legislation and have been disappointed to find homophobic language embedded into laws focusing on sex ed and HIV classes.

I've also been compiling a list of clinics that provide birth control methods as well as organizations that conduct HIV / STI screenings and pregnancy testing. However, I have also disturbingly stumbled across some organizations that advertise themselves as "Abortion Information Centers" or "Pregnancy Crisis Centers" in Tucson. For those unfamiliar with these organizations, they disguise themselves as unbiased information centers that even give free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and counselling for their clients. Unfortunately, they are often funded by religious institutions, provide misleading information intended to "advocate for the life of the fetus," provide no abortion referrals and often do not distribute "unnatural" birth control methods. Because I want to refer teens to institutions that provide information that does not focus on shaming and fear-mongering, I will not be including these organizations to my local database.

They advertise themselves as an "abortion information center...."

...yet when you read the fine print, they won't even tell you where to get an abortion, nor do they provide abortion services themselves.