Usually the dog days of summer are a TV wasteland - all the good shows are in repeats and if there are new shows on, it's hard to get into them because there are vacations, BBQs, and blockbuster summer movies to go to instead. But if you're into teen pregnancy stories, then this summer is actually a great time to be watching TV.

ABC Family's "Secret Life of the American Teenager" (Mondays at 8p) and MTV's "16 & Pregnant" (Thursdays at 10p) are both showing new episodes this summer and both are well worth watching.

I don't ponder this often, but if I were to consider how to define the word "sex" to someone, I'm fairly confident that I could come within striking distance of an accurate description. But according to a few articles floating around today, I might be a little overconfident...it turns out, Americans have almost no common definition of sex. In fact, about 37 percent of women consider oral sex "sex" -- and 63 percent of them don't. Somewhat surprisingly, men are more likely to consider oral sex to be "sex" (though Amanda Hess of The Sexist Blogs has an interesting take on this finding).

Why the confusion? Have years of philandering politicians and their fast and loose (pun intended) definitions of sex made the American public less sure of themselves? Well, maybe they're not all to blame. According to Erick Janssen, a scientist at sex-research Mecca, The Kinsey Institute, "Sex is a word and nobody is really in charge of that term. In a way, our thinking of sex and definitions of sex is more complex than they were in the past."

And even in the (admittedly recent) past, things weren't very clear. In 1998, two other Kinsey researchers were publishing a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association on how people see sex. The answer: We can't really agree. "These data make it clear that general agreement regarding what constitutes having 'had sex' and how sexual partners are counted cannot be taken for granted," Kinsey researchers Stephanie Sanders and June Reinisch concluded in their JAMA paper.

So, what's the big deal? Who cares if we can't come up with an official definition? To my mind, it doesn't much matter if my definition and yours don't match up...but sex is a big enough deal that, if you're having it, you should be able to talk about it. And to borrow a point from the Sexist Blogs' Sexist Beatdown, "it's not as important to define what 'sex' is as it is to define what we're comfortable with people doing with us or with other people."

We wanted to fill you in on some exciting news about emergency contraception.

Last week the FDA approved a generic version of Plan B.

This whole thing gets a little tricky since Plan B is available with and without a prescription depending on your age, but we'll try to clarify what exactly was approved. Duramed still has market exclusivity on over-the-counter Plan B which can be purchased by women age 17 and older without a prescription until August 24, 2009. However, the recently approved generic version (which will be marketed as Next Choice™) will be available to women age 17 and younger with a prescription in the near future (hopefully in August, Next Choice will be available over-the-counter as well).

The price of Next Choice™ will likely vary by pharmacy, but will most likely be 20-70 percent cheaper than the name brand version which ranges from $35-70 depending on the pharmacy. Clear as mud? Check out these FAQs for more info.

I don't know about you, but a lower cost version of emergency contraception might be just what I need to stock up on for a rainy day...Not that it's a substitute for birth control, mind you. But you can never be too careful...

This Saturday, June 27th is the National HIV Testing Day. Coordinated by The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA), this testing campaign reminds us that this completely preventable virus is alive and well and still spreading in the U.S.  On average, someone in this country is infected with HIV every nine and a half minutes.  And of the one million or so people here living with HIV, one in five don't know they're positive and nearly 40% aren't diagnosed until they've developed AIDS. 

The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 16 and 64 gets tested at least once as a part of their routine medical care, while those in certain higher risk groups are urged to get tested at least once a year. Who's at higher risk? Injection drug users. Men who have sex with men. And those with multiple sex partners.  That last category doesn't mean ménage à trois. We're talking about any sexually active men or women, who are not in a long term, mutually monogamous relationship. 

It's never been easier to find a testing site.  You can type in your zip code online, text your zip to KNOWIT (566948), or call 1-800-CDC-INFO to find the testing center nearest you. So if you've never been tested or if you fall into one of those higher risk groups, you have no excuse. Take the test. Take control.

Have you been watching the new documentary series "16 and Pregnant" on MTV? I have and I think it's great. But I'm a 31-year-old man -- hardly MTV's demographic -- so you probably don't care what I think.  Instead, I've asked one of the wonderful teens with whom we work, Avery from Chevy Chase, MD, with to share some of her thoughts on the show. Here's what she had to say:

The title of MTV's new show, "16 and Pregnant," is pretty self-explanatory. The show shares the personal stories of teenage girls who are dealing with pregnancy and parents. Despite the fact that they all have teen pregnancy in common, each of the girls we've met so far - Maci from Tennessee, Farrah from Iowa, and Amber from Indiana - have completely different lives and interests. However, each of the girls starts out saying that she will keep her life nearly the same as her pre-pregnancy existence once she has her baby. Not surprisingly, conflicts immediately arise. The main issues stem from the teens' desire to maintain some, if not all, of their pre-baby priorities and the strain it puts on their relationships.

The result? Among 15 to 24 year olds, 20% have already fathered a pregnancy, with roughly half being unplanned and most being outside of marriage (and that doesn't even count the pregnancies they don't know about).

My point? While we're busy reminding our sons to send a nice card or call their dads on father's day, let's take the opportunity to talk to our sons--remind them that being a dad is hard work, life changing even, and something that should wait until two people are committed to each other and to parenthood for the long haul. And that means being responsible in their relationships. It's one of the best ways to honor how awesome dads can be.

Last week, The Washington Post examined Hollywood's recent fascination with 20- and 30-somethings who are still fumbling their way towards something resembling adulthood. Appparently, being a grownup is so scary that being immobilized is way better. Until: something big happens that grows you up fast. In Hollywood, that turning point seems to be an unplanned pregnancy. "Knocked Up," "The Last Kiss" and "Away We Go" are just a few of the movies Post writer Monica Hesse points to as examples of babies turning aging adolescents into grownups.

Is that really a baby's job?

RH Reality Check today launches a new section devoted to the ongoing search for common ground on abortion and related issues. The On Common Ground section will be moderated by author, commentator, and all-around good egg Cristina Page. Cristina has long been a keen observer and chronicler of the ongoing culture wars over abortion and various efforts to reach common ground.

National Campaign CEO Sarah Brown will be a regular contributor to the Common Ground site along with others including the very thoughtful Rachel Laser of Third Way.

Read Sarah's initial contribution to the common ground discussion and marvel as I did as she seamlessly weaves together a narrative involving Barbie dolls, Cleopatra, family planning, and common ground.

Over the past several months Congress has been working at a fast pace to get comprehensive health reform legislation to the President's desk before the end of this year.

Two Senate committees are working on bills which they will ultimately merge into one and send to the full Senate for a vote sometime before Congress adjourns for the August recess.

Meanwhile, there are three committees in the House that are working on health reform. The House committees are collaborating to produce one bill, which is also expected to be voted on by the full House by early August. Broad outlines of a "Tri-Committee" draft bill were circulated last week.

Looking at the various draft proposals that have already been released, it is clear that Congress is making a historic effort to reform health care, as is the Obama administration. Yet with so many "big picture" issues to grapple with, like spiraling health care costs, access and affordability, employer mandates, taxing benefits, and whether to include a public plan option, it's hard to get Congress's attention on some of the "smaller issues," such as pregnancy planning and prevention. However, pregnancy planning and prevention affects the lives of most Americans who would benefit from health reform, and therefore, is very much a part of the "big picture."

There's a new show premiering this week on MTV that is a must-watch for anyone who cares about teen pregnancy or teens in general. "16 and Pregnant" is a 6-part series done in documentary style with one story per episode. It features 6 teen girls, all from different places, backgrounds and circumstances. MTV followed them through their pregnancies and in the time after they gave birth and captured the angst, drama, gossip, worry, heartache, excitement, confusion, pain, love, hope and helplessness that comes with being pregnant as teenager. It is riveting to watch and impossible to forget.

The first episode, which airs Thursday at 10p ET/PT, tells the story of Maci - an over-achiever from Chattanooga, Tennessee who is in the glorious throes of her first love when she finds out she's pregnant. I don't want to give anything away, but suffice it to say there's a big reality check in store for her. And her boyfriend. And anyone else who thinks having a baby at 16 is going to be like a fairy tale.

Not only are we big fans of the show, but we're also involved behind the scenes. We're preparing discussion guides to go along with each episode so that teens and parents and other adults have a place to start when they want to talk about what they're watching. Once the initial on-air run is complete, we'll also be distributing DVDs of the show to groups, classrooms and programs who need compelling content on this important topic to share with teens.

Check out the discussion guides and FAQ at http://www.stayteen.org/tuned/16-and-pregnant/ and don't forget to set your DVRs accordingly.

Normally, I would preface this with an explanatory statement, conveying the seriousness with which we approach our work (especially in the policy realm). But sometimes, you just have to stop and smell the roses. And by "smell the roses," I mean "laugh 'til it hurts at Stephen Colbert."