Last year when Pres. George W. Bush slashed funding for domestic spending programs to free up more money for his war on terror, analysts didn't foresee how steeply some prices would increase as a result of fewer federal dollars. This year millions of college students are seeing steep price increases that have doubled or tripled the price of birth control pills.

This is causing problems for some college students work two jobs to pay bills and may already have one or two children. Officials say they fear that the price increase may cause some students to switch to less reliable methods or stop using contraception

Various women's groups held a Women's Caravan Thursday to demand the Roman Catholic Church leadership in the Philippines to allow them the right of "informed choice" in choosing birth control. The Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) spokesman Monsignor Pedro Quitorio III met with the group.

The women called on the Catholic Church to ease its pressure on the government to adhere to only one method of family planning, adding that despite the separation between church and state, the CBCP remains an influential lobbying group in favor of only natural birth control, such as abstinence

A consumer advocacy group has filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the use of third generation birth control pills for women. The demand by the group is based on research that has found a significant link between the newest formulations of progestins in the 3G birth control pills and the development of blood clots.

In a video posted on YouTube, Public Citizen contends that the birth control pills, which contain a specific type of birth control hormone, potentially double the risk of developing blood clot in women who use them

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug especially formulated for women that can be used as an oral contraceptive for birth control as well as a treatment for acne.

Additionally, the drug has also been approved to treat the emotional and physical symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder. The drug named YAZ, manufactured by Bayer Schering Pharma AG has become the first oral contraceptive approved by the FDA for three distinct uses

The immediate news release of January 24 from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discounts recent media reports that higher birth control standards are possibly being discussed regarding the effectiveness of newer generation oral contraceptives.

According to the FDA report, "Recent wire service stories about today's meeting of the FDA Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee have created misperceptions about the effectiveness of newer generation hormonal contraceptives