Women get the right to vote

If you thought 1920 was a reprehensibly late date to get the right to vote, what about 2015? This December is poised to be the first time that Saudi Arabian women will finally be able to vote and run for office.

According to this Time article, an estimated 70 women are looking to run as candidates in the country's municipal elections.

I liked this stock photo since it clearly showed Saudi women
plotting to overthrow the government via their newfound powers.

Lest you think that this means everything's hunky-dory in one of the most conservative and restrictive countries in the world, remember that Saudi woman still can't drive cars, go out in public without a male chaparone, wear whatever they like, and many other common, sensible tasks. Hopefully, they will soon vote to relax these rules.

Colorado's startling success in curbing teenage births

From Futurific Leading Indicators, August 2015: "Over the past six years, Colorado has found that if teenagers and poor women were offered free intrauterine devices and implants that prevent pregnancy for years, women will choose them in a big way, and the results are startling."

"The birthrate among teenagers plunged by 40 percent from 2009 to 2013, while their rates of abortions fell by 42 percent. ... There was another similar decline in births for another group particularly vulnerable to unplanned pregnancies: unmarried women under 25 who have not finished high school. The changes were particularly pronounced in the poorest areas of the state."

"Teenage births have been declining nationally [see my previous post from two years ago], but experts say the timing and magnitude of the reductions in Colorado are a strong indication that the state's program was a major driver. About 20 percent of women ages 18 to 44 in Colorado now use a long-acting method ... compared to about 7 percent nationwide. ... About half of the 6.6 million pregnancies a year in the United States are unintended."