Condom Week Is Irresponsible

Over the past week groups distributing condoms have pretended that they are a ticket to "protection" and "safe" sex. They have said nothing about condom failure rates, although groups like Planned Parenthood put these rates as high as 17 percent overall and 33 percent during teenage use. On Tuesday while I stood in line for dinner at the Union a student threw a handful of condoms at the line. The gesture was indicative of a whole attitude.

The idea that condoms make sex "safe" came in during the early years of the AIDS scare. But as we learned more about the nature of AIDS, it became clear that throwing condoms at the problem would not solve it. Wholesale distribution of condoms without discussion of the likelihood and consequences of condom failure is irresponsible at best. The term "safe sex" has become an anachronism, and so have institutions like Condom Week. Olive (Polly) Langendorf'97