PTET - godless culture

Proper Condom Use

Darkstar218 writes: There is no such thing as safe sex. The fact that CBS - one of the most liberally slanted news organizations in the country - shows that STD’s are everywhere doesn’t surprise me any. The article you cite doesn’t seem to address where these so called "abstaining" teens are picking up the STD’s - because if they are abstaining and then giving in and abandoning their decisions to remain pure, and they sleep with someone who’s made no such commitment ever, it’s no wonder that they pick up an STD. Doesn’t mean we need to abandon teaching Abstinence; in fact, it tells me that we need to reach that whole other part of the population who are not practicing it.

Your allegation of bias is hilarious. The CBS report I linked to cites a study from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC). The CDC is the same organisation cited in *your* link to the "Concerned Women For America" Moreover, the CBS story is a direct report from Associate Press. Do you think that AP is a "liberally slanted news organization" too, I wonder?

Here's what the CDC says in recommending proper education on condom use as part of its strategy on preventing STDs:

"In order to achieve the protective effect of condoms, they must be used correctly and consistently. Incorrect use can lead to condom slippage or breakage, thus diminishing their protective effect. Inconsistent use, e.g., failure to use condoms with every act of intercourse, can lead to STD transmission because transmission can occur with a single act
of intercourse..."

"...Many of the available epidemiologic studies were not designed or conducted in ways that allow for accurate measurement of condom effectiveness against HPV infection... A number of studies, however, do show an association between condom use and a reduced risk of HPV-associated diseases, including genital warts, cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer."

The fact is that proper condom use *significantly* reduces the risk of pregnancy and STD's such as HIV.

People will have sex, whether you like it or not. "Abstinence Only" programmes have been shown to be woefully inadequate in preventing STDs and unwanted pregnancies. (See for example here).

Here's a great bit of religious dishonesty for you:

"The Catholic Church is telling people in countries stricken by Aids not to use condoms because they have tiny holes in them through which HIV can pass - potentially exposing thousands of people to risk... The church is making the claims across four continents despite a widespread scientific consensus that condoms are impermeable to HIV... A senior Vatican spokesman backs the claims about permeable condoms, despite assurances by the World Health Organisation that they are untrue..."

Vatican: condoms don't stop Aids, The Guardian, October 9, 2003

"Abstinence Only" programmes lead to a *greater* risk of STDs and unwanted pregnancies amongst the significant number of adherents who "lapse". Do you really think that you are making the world a better place by denying them a full sexual education purely out of religious dogma?




See the full discussion on Darkstar218's weblog