If You Give a Teen a Condom

One of the hottest debates among school administrators, parents, and politicians is sex education, specifically information about safer sex, in schools. If you give a teenager a condom, are you promoting promiscuity? Are we inviting unplanned pregnancy and STIs into teen’s lives by acknowledging the fact that they might be interested in sex?

Simply put: No. Duh.

National Condom Month 2013: Condoms as a Rite of Passage? Absolutely!

National Condom Month is always my favorite blog of the year to write.

The condom. All sorts of shapes, sizes, colors (even glow-in-the-dark). Ribbed or plain. Lubed or not. Latex or plastic (and natural skin, although that variety isn’t as effective as the others against sexually transmitted infections).

Wrapping It Up Still Feels Good – Why the Bad Rap?

We’ve all heard it before – sex with condoms isn’t as good as sex without condoms.

However, a new study by ASHA board member Dr. Debby Herbenick and other researchers from Indiana University’s Center for Sexual Health Promotion shows that condoms’ bad rap might be unwarranted.

Turning the Tide on HIV

Reports of dramatic decline in sexual risks among black youth is certainly news that brings cheer and deserves universal appreciation. The advances made by a community that has been disproportionately affected by the scourge of HIV/AIDS are certainly encouraging. The data covering 1991 to 2011 was presented by Dr Laura Kann, Ph.D., Chief, Surveillance and Evaluation Research Branch, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the XIX International AIDS Conference held on July 25, 2012, at Washington, D.C.

Condoms and Earth Day: Wrap Your Willie and Save the World?

Thursday marked the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the Center for Biological Diversity distributed 250,000 latex condoms to counter what it says is the harsh environmental impact of an expanding global population.

Ah, but there was a hitch to their pitch. Leslie Kaufman, writing in the Green blog on the website of the New York Times, points out that critics note the condoms given away by the organization are made of latex, which doesn’t break down easily when discarded (think landfills) and might be considered a somewhat odd choice for a group promoting environmental responsibility.