[Discussion] Philadelphia to Install Free Condom Dispensers in High Schools

[Naruto N Uzumaki]

Philadelphia is installing condom dispensers in 22 city high schools where students as young as 14 will be able to receive condoms for free in an effort to combat an "epidemic" of sexually transmitted disease among the city's teenagers.

Students returning to school from Christmas break will find clear plastic dispensers filled with condoms in the offices of nurses whose schools have the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases.

"We believe distributing condoms is part of our obligation to keep students healthy and to remain healthy," said school district spokesman Fernando Gallard. "The health department has described this as a continued epidemic of STDs among teenagers in Philadelphia."

Condoms have in the past been provided to students in Philadelphia as part of wider program in which the teenagers are provided "free, voluntary and confidential" testing for sexual diseases in their schools, Gallard said.

It was the results of those tests that led officials to launch the current program to distribute condoms regularly in schools instead of once a year when the tests are administered.

Of the 130,000 student who have received testing in the last five years, some 6,500 or 5 percent of them have tested positive for diseases including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Parents were made aware of the distribution program in October and were given the chance to opt their children out of receiving the prophylactics.

Gallard said the school district has not received "specific calls" from parents objecting to the program. The total number of parents who chose to disallow their children from receiving condoms, however, is unknown.

According to Advocates for Youth, a nonprofit organization that advocates for sexual health among young people, there are at least 418 schools nationwide providing condoms.

In August, despite outrage from some parents, the school board in Springfield, Mass., approved a plan to distribute condoms in public high schools, as well as middle schools, providing free contraception to students as young as 11.

Philadelphia has plans to expand condom distribution to more schools, but has no plans to introduce prophylactics to middle schoolers

Abhorrent.

[YowYan]

wauw..this is ridiculous.
Advocating sex, obviously. The govt is.

[Ƒālconer]

seems legit, Govt. selling sex to kids. Yep thats actually quite normal here in America

[Great Sage of Uchiha]

wauw..this is ridiculous.
Advocating sex, obviously. The govt is.

So they should do what they have been doing and do nothing?, like they have always done.

[Typhon]

I don't see anything wrong with this. If kids want to have sex, they're going to have sex. Might as well give them a method of obtaining protection.

[Naruto N Uzumaki]

I don't see anything wrong with this. If kids want to have sex, they're going to have sex. Might as well give them a method of obtaining protection.

Exactly.

[muutobirama3rdraikagemizu]

Nice

[Wang]

It's a shame I'm out of high school

[MarkPaul]

Wow. That's good to hear. But I know that some will take advantage of the free condoms.

[Ritsu]

I don't see anything wrong with this. If kids want to have sex, they're going to have sex. Might as well give them a method of obtaining protection.

I completely agree.

[Jellal Fernandes]

Like said above obviously people can have sex, if they please to. But why in high school? High school is a place to learn..Some people just tend to be forget about that.

[Ghan]

Why does this type of stuff never happen where i live?

[drknght]

I completely agree.

Both of you. OUT!

[KuraiandAlbel]

I would not really say they are advocating sex, but more like for safe sex. The teenagers still have the choice to not have sex or not, but, of course, they will go for the sex. They just want to help prevent STD's and pregnancy for the teens that do decide to have sex.

[Ritsu]

Both of you. OUT!

But why Docta?

[Aim64C]

I'm honestly a little torn on this issue.

I, personally, feel it is being a bit too 'loose' regarding the topic of sex. By no means should -kids- be denied methods of contraception... but one wonders how anyone survived in the 300+ years before contraception was dispensed at school (since this has become such an epidemic with teenagers getting pregnant and loaded up with STDs).

On the more realistic side of things - contraception tends to get treated like a miracle: "Wear this thin polymer sheath and you can have sex without consequence!" It, also, doesn't work when it remains in one's pocket or purse (unfortunately, it's an item that must first be equipped utilizing one standard action that breaks the flow of things).

On the other hand... as people have said - kids are going to do things they are told are poor choices. That's kind of being a kid (teenagers are still kids) - pushing the boundaries. In a world where kids are creating more kids for the welfare system to support... it only makes sense to provide some kind of hedge against the tide of teenage mothers.

Honestly, the problem, as I see it, is mostly to do with the lack of parental guidance and/or role models. Kids often witness their parents fight, hear their father (or mother) making overtly sultry comments about someone other than their mother (father) and in cases of single-parenthood, often left to raise themselves with no oversight or role model (unless you count 'G-poochy' on their favorite album...).

Contraception being standard-issue with Number 2 pencils isn't going to solve the problem. It may help sway the statistics a little - but the problem is an overall rot and decay of healthy family structures (regardless of what culture or roles you believe in - a healthy family has role models and a functional sharing of responsibilities). Not that 'proper family' prevented sex in the past - but it certainly gave a much healthier example for teens to attempt to model their own relationship goals off of (rather than spreading or poking for anyone who gives you attention).

[drknght]

The problem is not about the condom itself, but about the fact that they are given away for free. There is nothing for free in this world. There is nothing wrong with having protected sex. You want to have kids-free sex, you wear a condom. It's better than just "making" kids and then just killing them off with abortion. This would be just like with a free milk at school. I've seen this when I was in high school, it's probably even worse in middle school. Kids start to throw milk across the cafeteria. They didn't pay for it, so why would they care, right? It's such a waste, and it's not kids' fault, not even their parents or the way they raised these stupid kids, but about the system which allows nothing else than just that.

[Shinobi Train]

1920's: "The kids are having sex, let's bring down the hammer on them. We'll make them wish they didn't know what sex was."

Fails^ and results in sexual revolution.

2013: "The kids are having sex, so let's give them more condoms so they can have more sex and feel like it's okay."

Is it just me, or are human beings incredibly stupid? Guess what, geniuses, by the time the kid is old enough to screw they should be considered their own person. Businesses don't hand out condoms to their employees when they take note in a rise of activity, so why are we doing it with young adults? If a teen messes up and does something stupid, hooray, they learned a valuable life lesson (and they should be made to live with it for the rest of their lives too). Oh, and just because someone is dumb doesn't mean they should get out of anything. Stupid people deserve what they get more than anyone else, and that goes for teenagers especially.

[Cyanide Addiction]

Not a bad idea. They're going to do it either way. But they should put a camera on the machine, and post a sign saying anyone seen getting the condoms will receive mandatory council on the matter. Sex shouldn't be taken lightly, but nor should we just pretend they're all little angels until caught. Educate your kids, and don't be afraid to offend them, or scare them, because becoming a parent is a f*cking scary thing.