Beyoncé's Surfbort Obsession Has Really Gotten Out of Control

Pierre Debusschere/CR Fashion Book

Newly minted VMA Video Vanguard winner and mother of the cutest child known to mankind Beyoncé just landed herself another magazine cover, this time with Carine Roitfeld's CR Fashion Book. Carine, former editor-in-chief of French Vogue and friend of Kanye, enlisted Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci (also a friend of Kanye) to style King Bey for the shoot, so unsurprisingly, she looks incredible. To keep the identity of their major cover star a secret, the magazine previously released a photo of Mrs. Carter in a sparkly pom-pom mask and asked readers to guess. In retrospect, it seems so easy, because who else on the planet could possibly make such an insane face accessory look so chic?

Pierre Debusschere/CR Fashion Book

And then, in a true stroke of styling genius, Riccardo had Beyoncé pose with her signature item of sporting equipment: a big surfbort. It is made by Chanel, and it is fabulous. And yes, she probably does surf in that satin corset, because she's a grown woman and she can do whatever she wants, especially if that includes wearing impractical clothing to do water sports.

Pierre Debusschere/CR Fashion Book

[via The Cut]

Follow Eliza on Twitter.

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Center here

Scarlett Johansson Is Appalled at the Idea of Men Taking Away Women's Access to Birth Control

Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Scarlett Johansson, and other A-list actresses are joining forces to stand up for reproductive rights and encourage women to vote in the midterm elections. Johansson designed a cheeky pink T-shirt with mid-century font across the front saying, "Hey Politicians! The 1950s called..." and "They want their sexism back!" across the back.

The actress said she was inspired to help the organization after the Supreme Court issued a devastating decision on women's health earlier this year.

"When I heard that some politicians were cheering the Supreme Court's decision to give bosses the right to interfere in our access to birth control, I thought I had woken up in another decade," Johansson said in a statement going out to Planned Parenthood supporters this week. "Like many of my friends, I was appalled by the thought of men taking away women's ability to make our own personal health care decisions. That's when I knew I couldn't sit on the sidelines and why I'm proud to support Planned Parenthood Action Fund's 'Women Are Watching' campaign to ensure that young women know the high stakes for women's health and rights this November."

"Women are watching," she continues. "And we will fight for candidates who will ensure that birth control is affordable and who will protect access to safe and legal abortion. Women will be the key to the elections this November and it's more important than ever that young women register to vote and vote for the candidate that will stand up and fight for them."

In the coming months, Planned Parenthood Action Fund will release T-shirts designed by Gabrielle Union, star of the BET series Being Mary Jane, and Natasha Lyonne and Selenis Leyva of Orange Is the New Black. Planned Parenthood Action Fund is selling the shirts as part of their "Women Are Watching" campaign, which tracks issues relevant to women's health and mobilizes and educates voters.

Follow Jill on Twitter.

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Center here

3 Major Challenges to the Birth Control Mandate Explained

The Affordable Care Act — a.k.a. “Obamacare” — has lowered women’s monthly expenses by eliminating the cost of birth control pills. But that isn’t, and won’t be, the case for employees of several organizations that are mounting legal challenges to the birth control mandate — which was supposed to go into effect nationwide on Jan. 1 — claiming that providing birth control to their employees, via healthcare plans, violates their religious freedom. The Obama administration has defended the requirement as one of the key preventative measures “essential to women’s health.” But the ultimate fate of the law’s enforcement for all rests in the outcome of the court cases against it. Here are three major ones to watch, though there are dozens of others pending around the country. 

Challenger: Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp.

Reason for Challenge: The two companies, whose separate cases have been consolidated to head to the Supreme Court, claim that the mandate violates a 1993 law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which says the government can block exercise of beliefs only if there’s a “compelling governmental interest” at stake, and only by using the “least restrictive means” of enforcement. The companies’ owners, evangelical Christians and Mennonites, specifically disagree with the coverage of the "morning-after pill," which they consider to be abortion; Hobby Lobby also opposes IUDs because they prevent embryos from implanting in the uterus, though it does not object to paying for other methods of contraception like condoms and diaphragms. These cases stand out from the others in one major way: The plaintiffs are for-profit companies, not religious institutions. Arguments are likely to focus as much on whether corporations have the right to "practice" religion at all as on religious freedoms. 

Status: The Supreme Court will hear the cases, Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Sebelius, on March 25.

Challenger: Little Sisters of the Poor

Reason for Challenge: The nonprofit group of Catholic nuns, who run homes for the needy and aging, claims that under the law, its workers “would be required to actively facilitate and promote the distribution of [contraception] services in ways that are forbidden by their religion.” More specifically, the group objects to even signing the form that exempts religious-affiliated nonprofits from enforcement, allowing them to essentially pass responsibility for providing birth control on to their insurance companies. Little Sisters' lawyer says "they cannot deputize a third party to sin on their behalf," though the government says their church-affiliated, third-party insurer isn't even the type that's required to provide contraceptive coverage. In other words, the suit is a mere political test case, the Obama administration contends.

Status: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who oversees legal requests from the group’s Denver-based judicial circuit, granted a temporary stay on Dec. 31 that stopped the group from being fined for violation of the requirement. The Obama administration responded in a court filing Jan. 3, saying that the law didn’t place an undue burden on the group because of the exemption allowed. Now Sotomayor must rule on whether to keep the stay in place or turn it over to the full court. 

Challenger: University of Notre Dame

Ground for Challenge: The school is among several Catholic organizations that have brought suits objecting to the Obama administration’s compromise exemption, saying that passing responsibility on to their insurers still requires them to implicitly participate in a practice they deem morally objectionable, a similar objection to that of the Little Sisters. Notre Dame also sued the administration over the birth control mandate back in 2012, but the case was dismissed as premature.

Status: Notre Dame didn’t get its requested injunction against enforcement of the law, so as of Jan. 1, it's providing the required coverage. But it’s pushing ahead with its case anyway. It’s awaiting its expedited hearing in U.S. District Court in South Bend, Ind. Some other similar cases have been thrown out of court, while others have been granted injunctions as they await trial — mixed messages that make the Supreme Court rulings all the more important.

Follow Jennifer on Twitter.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Center here

How To Get Free Birth Control Via Obamacare: A Walkthrough

With the help of Planned Parenthood, I put together a guide on how to score your free contraception, guaranteed under the Preventative Care measure in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). And, yes, this is as simple as it gets. Trust me.

Follow Anna on Twitter

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Handbags reviews and advice for best reference here

7 Birth Control Questions They Didn't Cover in Sex Ed

CAN I SKIP MY PERIOD BY NEVER TAKING PLACEBOS?

Yes. It's totally fine to skip the inactive pills.

CAN I GET PREGNANT FROM ANAL SEX? ORAL SEX?

The odds aren't zero. Semen has to get inside your vagina—tough to do via the anus and mouth—but fingers and hands could move semen there.

IF I FORGET MY PILL, CAN I GET ONE FROM A FRIEND?

Not a good idea. Each brand has a unique for mula. Even pills in the same pack age can be different!

WILL ANTIBIOTICS SCREW WITH MY PILLS?

No, unless it's Rifampin or Rifabutin, used to treat tuberculosis. But some Rx meds decrease the Pill's effectiveness, as will St. John's wort. Ask your doc if you need a backup method.

WHAT ABOUT MOLLY? POT?

Recreational drugs don't affect hormonal birth control…if you remember to use it.

IS IT TRUE AN IUD OR THE RING CAN FALL OUT?

Rarely, an IUD slips out of the uterus (since you asked, it's most often during a BM), and a doctor must reinsert it. Ditto for the ring. But you can just rinse it off with warm water and reinsert it immediately.

I DRANK TOO MUCH AND THREW UP LAST NIGHT.…WILL MY PILL STILL WORK?

If you vomited within three hours of taking your pill, count it as missed. Take another active pill—and if you're on a progestin-only pill, also use condoms for 48 hours.

Got a question we missed? To use Planned Parenthood’s text program, text “COSMO” to 774636 (PPINFO) and then ask any urgent sex-related question (i.e., “Can I take a morning-after pill even though the condom broke two days ago?”). A health educator will write back—in under a minute when they're open (visit plannedparenthood.org/chat to check times).

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Handbags reviews and advice for best reference here

7 Birth Control Questions They Didn't Cover in Sex Ed

CAN I SKIP MY PERIOD BY NEVER TAKING PLACEBOS?

Yes. It's totally fine to skip the inactive pills.

CAN I GET PREGNANT FROM ANAL SEX? ORAL SEX?

The odds aren't zero. Semen has to get inside your vagina—tough to do via the anus and mouth—but fingers and hands could move semen there.

IF I FORGET MY PILL, CAN I GET ONE FROM A FRIEND?

Not a good idea. Each brand has a unique for mula. Even pills in the same pack age can be different!

WILL ANTIBIOTICS SCREW WITH MY PILLS?

No, unless it's Rifampin or Rifabutin, used to treat tuberculosis. But some Rx meds decrease the Pill's effectiveness, as will St. John's wort. Ask your doc if you need a backup method.

WHAT ABOUT MOLLY? POT?

Recreational drugs don't affect hormonal birth control…if you remember to use it.

IS IT TRUE AN IUD OR THE RING CAN FALL OUT?

Rarely, an IUD slips out of the uterus (since you asked, it's most often during a BM), and a doctor must reinsert it. Ditto for the ring. But you can just rinse it off with warm water and reinsert it immediately.

I DRANK TOO MUCH AND THREW UP LAST NIGHT.…WILL MY PILL STILL WORK?

If you vomited within three hours of taking your pill, count it as missed. Take another active pill—and if you're on a progestin-only pill, also use condoms for 48 hours.

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Handbags reviews and advice for best reference here

How Effective is Birth Control? An 11-Method Breakdown

What it is: After being taken off the market for many years due to related health risks, the relatively new IUD is a T-shaped device inserted in the uterus by a health care provider. It can last up to 12 years.

How it works: The hormonal version is an ovulation-inhibitor, preventing the release of an egg from your ovaries that, when fertilized, gets you pregnant. As for the copper (non-hormonal) version, Herbenick says it’s not entirely understood how it works, but the copper essentially immobilizes sperm from traveling up your vagina.

Effectiveness: More than 99 percent

STD Protection: None.

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Handbags reviews and advice for best reference here

Senate Completely Shuts Down Gun Control Overhaul, Leaving Obama and Others Furious

President Obama's attempt to refine (really, tighten) American gun control laws, featuring, among other things, a more thorough background check for potential firearm owners, was defeated on the Senate floor yesterday during a Republican-led filibuster.

It was a rage-inducing letdown for gun control advocates—and, for that matter, anyone who felt that more obstacles needed to be put between people and their guns in the wake of December's Sandy Hook massacre, during which 20 students and six teachers were killed. Ninety percent of Democrats supported the additional safety measures, while 90 percent of Republicans opposed it. In a subsequent speech explaining the day's proceedings, President Obama was visibly angry: "[This is] a pretty shameful day for Washington [but] I see this as just Round One."

Surrounding Obama during his speech were Newtown families and former Rep. Gabby Giffords, the target of an infamous assassination attempt outside a Tucson Safeway in 2011. Giffords survived a gunshot to the head, and six people on the scene were killed (including one 9-year-old girl).

Giffords, whose rehabilitation has been a slow, painful process, subsequently penned a scathing, powerful op-ed in the New York Times about the Senate's decision and the filibuster's ulterior motives for killing the legislature—for instance, the NRA's massive $25 million contributions to campaigns whose interests are also in their favor.

"I watch TV and read the papers like everyone else. We know what we’re going to hear: vague platitudes like 'tough vote' and 'complicated issue.' I was elected six times to represent southern Arizona, in the State Legislature and then in Congress. I know what a complicated issue is; I know what it feels like to take a tough vote. This was neither," Giffords, who recently visited Cosmopolitan with husband Mark Kelly, wrote.

The shutdown of these enhanced background checks was a particular blow; it was a major component of the proposed overhaul of the current gun ownership climate in America, and national polls showed that nine out of ten Americans supported it. For the last ten years, the institution of any kind of gun control legislation, from the extreme to the basically minute, has been locked in sort of a "two steps forward, one step back" environment; as some push for enhanced gun control laws, other push for the expansion and lesser government policing of gun ownership rights.

Senator Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) articulated the filibuster argument in The New York Times: "Like most Americans, I want to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and dangerous mentally ill people, [but the change] overly burdens a law-abiding citizen’s ability to exercise his or her Second Amendment rights and creates uncertainty about what is and is not a criminal offense."

But the fight isn't over. As Giffords wrote: "I’m furious. I will not rest until we have righted the wrong these senators have done, and until we have changed our laws so we can look parents in the face and say: We are trying to keep your children safe. We cannot allow the status quo — desperately protected by the gun lobby so that they can make more money by spreading fear and misinformation — to go on."

Follow Anna on Twitter: @annabreslaw

Image via Getty Images

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Handbags reviews and advice for best reference here

6 Times He Wants You to Take Control

Not sure what career path you want to take? Not to worry, there are plenty of hot jobs in demand.

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Handbags reviews and advice for best reference here

6 Times He Wants You to Take Control

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Ceneter here

6 Times He Wants You to Take Control

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Handbags Review Center here

6 Times He Wants You to Take Control

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Handbags Review Center here

6 Times He Wants You to Take Control

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Ceneter here

Religious Groups Off the Hook for Birth Control

Korin Miller
Korin is the site director for Cosmopolitan.com. She loves uncovering cool new research and learning more about what makes guys tick. Outside the Cosmo office, you can find her running with her dog, trying to convince friends to go to karaoke bars, and watching as much reality TV as humanly possible. Hit her up on Twitter: @korinmiller
Read More

Find all posts by Korin
Contact Korin

Michelle Ruiz
Michelle is the news editor for Cosmopolitan.com. She's obsessed with interviewing celebrities and spotting the latest pop culture trends. Her life highlights include chatting with Ryan Gosling about sex dolls, dancing on stage at the Oprah show, and shopping with her mom on Long Island. Tweet her: @michelleruiz
Read More

Find all posts by Michelle
Contact Michelle

Dara Adeeyo
Dara is the associate web editor for Cosmopolitan.com. She's intrigued by all things digital. Dara loves playing with html and discovering new studies. When she's not reading up on the latest cocktail recipes (for work, of course), she can be found breaking it down on the dance floor or watching the Investigative Discovery channel. She also has a sick obsession with nail polish, elephants, and most importantly, Nutella. Dara basically lives on Twitter, so tweet at her and say hey: @dadeeyo.
Read More

Find all posts by Dara
Contact Dara

Elisa Benson
Elisa Benson is the senior editor of social media for @Cosmopolitan?so, yes, she tweets about sex for a living. Elisa grew up in Ohio, attended Colgate University, and wrote love and relationship advice for Seventeen before graduating to Cosmo. She lives for girly things (weddings and eyelash extensions and Pretty Little Liars?) and frequently tweets about all of the above: @elisabenson.
Read More

Find all posts by Elisa
Contact Elisa

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Center here

Kelly Clarkson Is in Control

It's 1 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon, and Kelly Clarkson is braless, bleary-eyed, and recovering from a hard-core dose of NyQuil. Hanging on her 45-foot tour bus—her home for nine months last year—she's just devoured a bowl of Special K Red Berries, and her pups, Security, a Maltese, and Joplin, a black miniature labradoodle, are snuggled in her lap.

Lounging in her favorite sweatpants and a faded rocker tee, Kelly is completely unself—conscious. "One thing I love about Kelly is her ability to not give a shit," says her buddy Blake Shelton, who duetted with Kelly last year. "She's not running for office. She's a badass singer, a badass songwriter, and that's her focus. The whole celebrity thing just doesn't matter to her."

The girl from Burleson, Texas, has had a decade to get used to the fishbowl that came with being named the first American Idol. She's sold more than 20 million albums, won two Grammys, and recently released Greatest Hits: Chapter One. She also has a serious boyfriend, Brandon Blackstock, [ED NOTE: They have since become engaged] a music manager who handles pals like Blake and is also the son of her own manager and stepson of her mentor, Reba McEntire.

"Brandon's totally the one," she says, a slow grin spreading across her face. "I've never been so happy." As her phone lights up with texts from her guy, the singer known for kiss-offs talks about a life that is newly calm, confident, and "abnormally normal."

Cosmo: You're only 30, but it feels like you've been doing this forever.
Kelly: Yeah, it feels like 20 years. Things were so weird, so fast for me, that I kind of skipped over the surreal part. This [bus] is normal now. I get home and I'll be like "What do I do? There's no call sheet. Why isn't there catering here?" It takes you a good solid five days to get into your routine, like going to the grocery store.

Cosmo:You go to the grocery store?
Kelly: Oh, yeah. I like it not just to be like an anti-diva but just to have some kind of normalcy of a pattern you've had your whole life. And I'm so übercontrolling. I don't even like people looking through my bags—I'm like "No, I got it."

Cosmo: You've fought for control of your music too. Is it still hard to be taken seriously as a young female songwriter?
Kelly: Not anymore. You have to earn your stripes. At first I thought, I've had number one hits. What do I have to do? Do I have to get some tablets from the top of a mountain? But I think that it takes a while. And also, I would compromise and bend and break to get people to respect me. I kept thinking that they're never gonna respect what I do—but the thing I've learned is, I'm not working for that. I learned at 30: Okay, I don't really care if people respect me. I love what I do. And if I don't wanna do something, just say no and I don't need a reason. I used to be a major people pleaser, and that was my biggest downfall.

Cosmo: People are obsessed with your weight loss. What's up?
Kelly: One magazine said I lost 40 pounds—that's a small child, by the way. I lost 18 pounds. And I think that happens when you fall in love or date someone. If I'm going to be kissing or messing around, I gotta look good. There's not a fad diet. I was working with a trainer, and she said, "You'd be amazed the amount of weight you can drop by halving your portions. I know it sounds crazy, but do it for two weeks and watch what happens." I just cut back my portions, I stopped eating late at night, and I work out a little more than I used to, and I literally dropped 18 pounds in a month. I think it happens when you get really busy as well. But when I'm on my off-time—girl, those 18 might come back.

Cosmo: Some people work really, really hard to be skinny.
Kelly: See, I'm not willing to do that. I'm willing to work a little bit because I want to be a healthy individual—which I always have been. I've put on weight, but that's just what I'm happy with at that moment. That's my life right then. And then your lifestyle changes: Brandon and I both have bikes on the back of the bus, and we both love the outdoors. Once your lifestyle becomes more active, obviously you drop weight. I wish people would stop talking about it, but I'm used to it after a decade. And I'm from a small town, so everybody has something to say about everything. I've grown up that way.

Cosmo: There have been other crazy rumors—the lesbian thing.
Kelly: People think, "Oh, she's been single for too long." That's kind of an insult to the gay community. Being single doesn't mean you're gay. But I'm never insulted by it, obviously. I mean, I get hit on by the hottest girls ever. Oh, my god, if I were a lesbian, I would be so in luck. But it's just not my thing. I've always batted for the boys' team.

Cosmo: Do you get hit on by guys?
Kelly: Yeah, I get hit on by both. But usually the guys who hit on me are tools. It's the ones that don't hit on you that make you like "Why didn't you ask me out?" It's like American Idol auditions: The guys who are the most confident are the horrible ones, and the ones who are good have no confidence at all.

Cosmo: So how did you and Brandon get together?
Kelly: We've known each other for years, but we didn't start talking until the Super Bowl last February. And this is the funniest/worst thing ever: One of my superhero idols is Whitney Houston, and the day she died was our first date. I was like "This is a bad omen."

Cosmo: But it turned out great.
Kelly: Oh, yeah. Six years I was single before this. I've never been truly loved like I am right now.

Cosmo: It's almost a shock when it starts to come together.
Kelly: Yeah, I know! When I hit 30, I was like "I don't have a problem right now. There's nothing to work out. What am I going to do with my time?" Some people worry about getting older, but my life is getting easier, so I love it.

Cosmo: So how are you going to write your girl-power anthems when you're so happy now?
Kelly: It's kind of the next chapter for me, so there's still stuff to write about. The idea of "Catch My Breath" is "Man, it's been a decade and a lot of growing up." And I think women in their 20s are searching, searching, searching....What do I want? What makes me happy? What doesn't make me happy? I tell my boyfriend, "I feel like the rug is gonna be pulled out from under me anytime." He thinks I'm such a pessimist. But I think being so happy freaks you out. So there's something to write about in that as well.

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Center here

The Birth Control Warning You Should Know About

We know you rely on the Pill to help you practice safe sex (and maybe even to clear up your skin). But it’s also smart to know about any possible side effects that it might cause.

That’s why we wanted to flag this for you: The FDA announced this week that Yaz, Yasmin, Beyaz, Safyral, and other newer birth control pills will soon have a warning label that details the potential risk of developing a blood clot after you take the pills. Recent studies found that women can have up to three times a greater risk of developing blood clots with pills that contain drospirenone, a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone, which is commonly found in newer birth control pills.

Don’t freak just yet: The FDA also stressed that the risk of developing a blood clot from birth control in general is very low. “The risk of blood clots is higher when using any birth control pills than not using them, but still remains lower than the risk of developing blood clots in pregnancy and in the postpartum period,” the agency said in a statement.

So, how would you even know if you had a blood clot? According to the FDA, symptoms include persistent leg pain, severe chest pain, and shortness of breath. If you have these symptoms, you should call your doctor.

If you’re on a pill that contains drospirenone, the FDA says you shouldn’t worry and that it’s safe to continue taking your pills. Still concerned? Call your doctor.

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Center here

Wait—You Can Get Free Birth Control From Google?

It seems like every week we’re hearing more fiery debates about access to free birth control and the reproductive rights of women. Some arguments seem to be well thought out and others, well…not so much.

Prime example: Ron Johnson, a Republican senator from Wisconsin, was recently asked to explain his view that birth control shouldn’t be covered by insurance. According to Johnson, he’s against insurance companies covering the full cost of birth control because women can just get it for free on Google anyway. Wait—what?

“My wife went online and typed in ‘What if I can’t afford birth control?’” Johnson told a reporter from Think Progress. “Came up, bam. If you can’t afford it, you can get birth control in this country.”

Curious as to how we could score free birth control online, we tried Johnson’s trick. And, yeah, that didn’t work. We did come across a site that told us to go to Planned Parenthood—that's reduced cost, but some people still can't afford that—or to switch to an insurance company that covers it (still not free). It also recommended that you ask your partner for help with the cost—yup, not free either.

Maybe Johnson and his wife know something we don’t. But somehow, we doubt that.

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Center here

A New Win in the Fight for Free Birth Control

Finally, some good news in the debate over free birth control: The Obama administration announced late last week that colleges’ student health plans will have to provide coverage for free contraception.

That means whether you go to a religious, state, or private school, your birth control will be free starting Aug. 1, although, like the Obama administration’s previous loophole for religious employers, religious schools will have an extra year to comply with the regulation.

The only exemption from the new rule: Schools that offer their own health plans (vs. going through a major insurance company) will not have to provide free birth control.

Supporters of full birth control coverage applauded the new ruling. Sandra Fluke, who came under fire after she testified before Congress about the importance of providing free birth control for students, released a statement Friday that said, “I am very pleased that under these policies, all women, regardless of what school they attend or where they work, will soon have affordable access to contraception, and that the general quality of student health insurance will be improved across the country.”

Not in school? Under the Affordable Care Act, your employer and health care company is required to provide full birth control coverage starting on Aug. 1 as well. The Affordable Care Act will also fully cover HPV testing for women over 30, STD counseling, HIV testing, domestic violence screenings, and breast-feeding support and diabetes screening for pregnant women.

What do you think of the new ruling?

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Center here

A Scary New Twist in the Debate Over Free Birth Control

Between The Blunt Amendment and the heated emotion surrounding Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke’s congressional testimony, we didn’t think the debate surrounding free birth control could get any more controversial. We were so wrong.

Now, a new law has been proposed in Arizona that would give employers the right to demand that women who are prescribed birth control pills give proof that they’re not using it for sexual reasons.

That means, if you live in Arizona and this law passes, you’ll have to prove to your boss that you’re not using The Pill to prevent pregnancy in order for your employer to cover it through your insurance. Instead, you’ll need to pony up a doctor’s note that shows that you’re using it for hormone control or acne treatment.

Arizona House Bill 2625 was written by Republican state representative Debbie Lesko (yup, a woman) and was endorsed by Arizona’s Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this week. It will move forward in the state and eventually go to a vote before Arizona’s state legislature.

“We live in America. We don’t live in the Soviet Union,” Lesko told Arizona University’s The State Press newspaper. “Government should not be telling the organizations or mom and pop employers to do something against their moral beliefs.”

We doubt this proposal will actually be passed since it violates all kinds of privacy laws. But, if you live in Arizona and don’t want to risk having to produce a doctor’s note stating that you need birth control for your “acne problem,” contact your local state representative. Not sure who that is? Click here to find out.

What do you think of this proposed law?

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Center here

Another Birth Control Recall You Should Know About

Earlier this month, we told you about drug company Pfizer Inc.’s recall of 1 million birth control pills. And now, another company is recalling their birth control.

Glenmark Generics announced today that it is recalling seven “lots” of norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol birth control tablets because, in some packets, the pills were in the wrong order. That means if you rely on one of these pills for birth control, you could accidentally get pregnant.

According to the company, the error also made the “lot” number and expiration date hard to see on the package. They added that the recall also applies to packages in which the lot number and expiration date aren’t clear. So, if you could still be affected if you use Glenmark Generics birth control pills but don’t take norgestimate or ethinyl estradiol.

The company said the pills were distributed between Sept. 21 and Dec. 30. If you’re taking one of these pills, call your doctor, return your pill packet to the pharmacy where you bought it, and start using back-up contraception immediately.

Click here for more information on the recall, and to see which lots are affected.

From Cosmopolitan.com. Visit Amazon Beauty Center here