Philadelphia is battling a high STD rate with a free condom program. Do you think it’s a good idea? | Source: ShutterStock

Philadelphia is using common sense–the city’s fighting a growing STD epidemic among teens by installing free condom dispensers within its high schools.

The city has had huge problems with STD rates among teenagers, so the move to put in free condom dispensers at the nurse’s offices in 22 schools in Philadelphia is smart. (Obviously, abstinence is the only way to 100 percent prevent STDs, but that’s not that realistic–and it’s a lot more effective for sex education to teach not just abstinence, but also safe sex.)

Philadelphia students can also get free STD testing in their schools, which is so important when you consider that 5 percent of students who have been tested were positive for STDs including HIV. That may not sound like a lot, but think of it this way: That’s 1 in 20 people, so there’s probably one in your homeroom! That sounds like a ton more, right? So scary! In fact, the free STD testing is what led to the free condom program. The results were so dire and so dangerous that Philadelphia officials felt they needed to take action. 1 in 4 people infected with HIV in Philadelphia is between 13 and 24 years old, and the city has recently seen chlamydia and gonorrhea rates up by almost 50 percent!

“Less than 60 percent of kids who are sexually active report having used condoms the last time they had sex,” Philly’s health commissioner Dr. Donald F. Schwarz told the Daily News. “We want to get to that 40 percent who haven’t used a condom.”

The City of Brotherly Love isn’t the only one to promote safe sex with free condoms in high schools. 418 other schools nationwide, including in New York City, are encouraging sexually active students to always use a condom and are eliminating the potential embarrassment of a trip to CVS by giving them out for free. Students can even order free condoms online if they don’t want to go to the office. Springfield, Massachusetts even made headlines when they released free condoms not just in high school, but also middle school–giving contraception for free to people as young as 11 years old.

Dr. Schwarz even said that the STD rate is dropping. “For the first time in four years, we saw a decline in STIs among adolescents by 5 to 6 percent,” he said.

There is a catch to the Philadelphia free condom program, though. If a student’s parents opt out of it, nurses can’t hand over contraception to them. Still, even if parents think condom dispensers will encourage people to have sex, that’s not really the case. The Center for Disease Control reports that condom distribution programs like the ones in Philadelphia not only increase condom use and lower STD rates for young adults, but they also actually delay sexual activity–so it also in a way encourages you to be both safe and maybe wait on having sex.

Sounds like a win-win to us!

Do you think a free condom distribution program like the ones in Philadelphia and New York City are a good idea? Do you think free condom programs are a good way to promote safe sex and prevent STDs? Do you think a free condom program encourages young adults to have sex? Do you have any other ideas on how to lower the Philadelphia STD rate? Tell us in the comments!

Guess who always says to use a condom?

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Source: ShutterStock

How annoying is it when a guy doesn’t want to use a condom? It’s not even just annoying, it’s actually a really douchebag move. But maybe there’s a reason he doesn’t want to protect his junk: it could be because it just doesn’t fit him.

I know that might sound super lame, but apparently it’s true. A new study out of Hunter College has discovered that the bigger the penis, the more likely a dude is not going to want to wear a condom. It sort of makes sense… if the condom doesn’t fit and is too tight, obviously he’s not going to want to put it on. Do I enjoy putting on tights that are too small? No (that’s the only comparable thing I can think of?), I don’t. So what’s the most obvious solution? Buy condoms that fit.

This study proves that a condom that’s too small is not only annoying, it’s also potentially dangerous. The lead author of the study, Dr. Christian Grov says that a “standard one-size-fits-all condoms might be inadvertently encouraging men to engage in unprotected sex if they’re frustrated with ill-fitting prophylactics.”

Wait, so why don’t they just buy Magnums? What I’m getting from this study is that bigger condoms are more difficult to find – less than 40 percent of the dudes surveyed said it was “easy” to find condoms that fit them. And also, as our buddies over at Global Grind have previously pointed out, Trojan Magnums aren’t necessarily larger than the average condom.

Even still, I find this “condoms are too small for me” argument a lame one. There are larger sized condoms out there dudes (look at this Google search for them!), and if you feel like a regular one simply isn’t big enough for you, than go out and buy a bigger one! I don’t have a penis so I can’t say for sure, but it doesn’t sound that difficult to me. Maybe these larger condoms aren’t as readily available to you as a “normal” sized condom is, but they’re still available. Order them online! Go out of our way to buy one! Or don’t, and have unsafe, unprotected sex… if you can find a chick who will let you.

Moral of the story? Not using a condom is not okay. If your man is complaining about the fit of his condoms, then help him find one that fits more comfortably. There are tons of different condoms out there and a complaint about how they fit just isn’t an acceptable excuse not to wear one.

Have you ever heard a guy complain about the way condoms fit? What would you say if a guy told you he refused to wear a condom? Tell us in the comments.

Do friends with benefits have safer sex?

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I totally agree with her message that bros (or you know, even just men in general not of the bro-persuasion) can take a stand when it comes to reproductive rights. I know quite a few who are (yay!), but there’s always strength in numbers.

The humorous concept was able to point out some of the very serious nonsense happening around regulating reproductive rights in the U.S. and how this is a chance for men and women to band together and help protect important rights.

I will say though that I wasn’t totally crazy about the final line . I know, it’s comedy, but after a message about people being willing to helping each other out, it just felt weird to me to end this message with potential oral sex as the incentive to get guys to help. Is it just me?

In any case, the video asks viewers to check out AisFor.org and DrawTheLine.org. If you have a few minutes, you may want to take a look and learn a little bit more about what these organizations are doing to make strides when it comes to reproductive rights.

What did you think about this video? Do you agree with Sarah Silverman’s message? Do you know any “bros” willing to stand up for reproductive rights? Did you check out AisFor.org or DrawTheLine.org? Tell us in the comments!

Tina Fey Gets Down With Reproductive Rights

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Just friends… but safer sex? | Source: ShutterStock

I remember being kind of annoyed after watching Friends With Benefits that the characters never really talked much about safe sex precautions. In my opinion, movies and television can do a lot to educate people and it seemed like a missed opportunity to bring up safe sex in a totally relevant way. Couldn’t they have thrown in a scene of Jamie and Dylan talking about using a condom? Okay, okay – I know it’s just a movie, not real life.

Well, even if Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake’s characters didn’t spend much screen time thinking about it, it turns out that real-life friends with benefits are clued into the importance of condoms. A new study found that casually sexing duos are more likely to use a condom than those who are engaged in “regular” romantic relationships.

This information comes from a new study by Harvard University that was recently published in the Journal of Sex Research. The 376 survey participants were broken down into one of two groups based on their relationship status. The first was the “traditional romantic relationship” group (which I take to mean you’re officially each other’s boyfriend/girlfriend). The second groups was made up of those who considered themselves part of a friends-with-benefits relationship.

One big finding was that friends with benefits were indeed more likely to use condoms than the “traditional” group. In light of this study, it looks like the “traditional relationship” group should really take a cue from their friendly counterparts when it comes to using a condom. Look, even if you’re in a long-term relationship, that doesn’t automatically exclude you from STDs and unwanted pregnancy.

Seriously girls, STDs and unwanted pregnancies can not only throw a big wrench in your relationship, but can have big consequences on your life. Using a condom is literally a way to protect your body and your future. It is so incredibly important not only for friends with benefits, but for everybody!

What do you think about this study? Have you ever been in a friends with benefits relationship? How did it work out? Let us know in the comments!

Should I Be Friends With Benefits With My Crush?

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Source: ShutterStock

Today, I heard the news that a major pediatrician group is advising doctors to prescribe the morning-after pill to teens before they actually need to use it – you know, just in case they do end up needing to use it. At first, I was like, “Hm, that sounds like a pretty cool idea.” But then five seconds later I realized that this might actually not be as great as I thought.

Let’s get this clear before we move on: I am totally pro-Plan B. While I’ve never taken the morning-after pill myself, I think it’s good for girls to have the option to prevent pregnancy before it happens if things got a little messy in the bedroom the night before. Unexpected things can happen during sex – the condom breaks, the condom gets lost inside of you, or maybe you just totally forgot the condom altogether. Okay, maybe that last one is more of a mistake on your part, but the point is we can’t always predict what’s going to happen while hooking up, and that’s where the morning-after pill comes in.

However, there’s an issue with having it prescribed to teens in advance, and that issue (in my opinion) is that it makes the morning-after pill way too easy. Right now in the United States, girls under 17 can’t get the morning-after pill without a prescription. That makes things a little difficult. If you’re 16-years-old and the condom breaks during sex and you wake up in a panic the next morning, you have to head over to a doctor or Planned Parenthood to get a prescription and then make the sort of embarrassing trip to the drug store to buy Plan B. It’s not ideal.

But if you were already prescribed Plan B and it’s sitting in your desk drawer next to your bed, all you have to do is roll over and take the pill without any of that hassle. Sounds awesome, right? It is awesome for teens who are responsible enough to know how to handle the morning-after pill. It is not awesome for teens who are ready to abuse it, whether they mean to or not.

The morning-after pill should be more of a last resort, in my opinion. | Source: ShutterStock

The Committee on Adolescence from the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a statement, “Studies have shown that adolescents are more likely to use emergency contraception if it has been prescribed in advance of need.” I definitely am not going to argue with this – like I just said, having a supply of Plan B ready and waiting to be used is of course easier than going to to the store to buy it, whether you need a prescription or not. Of course adolescents are more likely to use it.

Here’s what I’m trying to say: Plan B shouldn’t be something you have lying around in your bathroom next your Advil. It’s a serious pill and not something you should take whenever you want. I feel like having a stash of Plan B waiting for you might actually encourage unsafe sex for teens who aren’t exactly mature enough yet to handle self-prescribing it.

What if a girl is about to hookup with her hot crush when she realizes neither of them have a condom? If she really, really wants to do it and knows she can just take some Plan B the next day and everything will be fine, don’t you think she might do it? I’m not saying every teen is irresponsible enough to make that decision – in fact, I’m not even going to limit it to just teens. Anyone could make that decision. But some people might think that way. Not only is having sex without a condom always a bad idea (even if you’re going to use the morning-after pill, you still have to worry about STD’s), but abusing the pill is not good for your health.

I think Plan B should definitely be accessible and easy to buy in your local drugstore. But I don’t think it should be prescribed to you just in case you need it. At the end of the day, there are just too many people out there who might abuse the pill or start having unsafe sex and using the pill as a sort of substitute for a condom or other protection, and that’s not okay.

What do you think? Do you agree with me? Do you think it’s a good idea for doctors to prescribe the morning-after pill in advance? Have you ever used Plan B? Would you like to have it in your house in case? Tell us in the comments!

One girl’s story about taking Plan B

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If you want to get close with Harry Styles of One Direction, you best use a condom! | Source: WENN

Want the key to Harry Styles‘ heart? (Or maybe just something slightly south of there?) You only need to do “One Thing.” In case we needed yet another reason to be in love with the curly-topped One Direction singer, he went and got all wise on us. Harry is advocating that everyone should use a condom when they have sex. Smart man, that Hazza!

Part of why Harry’s so gung-ho about getting everyone to use a condom is because of his own borderline paranoia about stuff going wrong in the bedroom. In a new interview, he revealed, “The first time I had sex, I was scared I got the girl pregnant. And that was despite the fact we were safe! Luckily, we were fine.” Phew!

While Harry Styles has a big reputation as a ladies man (which he denies), it’s good that he’s responsible and safe about it either way. “I would never risk not wearing a condom, it’s too much of a risk,” he insisted. “If you’re not ready for a child, then don’t risk it.” Amen to that! We don’t need another Mariah Yeater situation on our hands, right?

Aside from preventing pregnancy, we’re glad Harry will always use a condom because it’s really the only way–other than abstinence–to prevent STDs. And let’s be real: With that hair, those dimples, those eyes–abstinence may prove really, really difficult in Harry’s presence. If you can’t use self control (we’re not judging, girl), then be sure to use a condom if you really want a chance with Harry Styles!

Do you think Harry Styles is really a womanizer? Is Harry Styles your favorite member of One Direction? Do you always use a condom when you have sex? Tell us in the comments!

Harry Styles wants a girlfriend bad. Get in line!

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Can sexting cause STDs? Not really–but a lot of teens who sext are more at risk for STDs. | Source: Shutterstock

You already know that sexting and sending nude photos is risky–they can get passed around and you can get not only humiliated, but also in big trouble for it. Now there’s even a link between sexting and STDs. Wait, what?

A study was done in Houston, Texas, showing that around 1 in 4 high school students sent a nude photo of themselves to someone else–and those students were shown to be much more likely to engage in risky, unprotected sex. This is scary, girls! Here are more numbers: 40 percent of teens surveyed said they’d had sex, and only two-thirds of those who were sexually active used condoms.

That doesn’t mean that everyone who sends a nude photo is going to get an STD, or that sexting causes STDs–that’d be physically impossible, dude! But it does imply that people who send naked photos may lack the foresight and smart decision making skills that come with having safe sex.

The study also noted that girls who sent naked photos were also more likely to engage in drugs or alcohol before having sex, which lends some credibility to that idea as well. Often these behaviors go hand-in-hand with low self esteem, and chances are if you don’t respect yourself, you won’t really care about having safe sex or being healthy.

Another thing the study shows? That your offline life is a reflection of your online life, and vice-versa. If you’re taking sexual risks in the digital world, you may well be doing that in the real world, too. We’re not going to tell you not to have sex, because, well, that’s dumb. It doesn’t work. But if you’re going to have sex–and that’s totes your prerogative, given you and your partner are both legal and willing–we just want you to be safe and make smart decisions. And sending nude photos is almost never, ever a smart decision!

Do you think there’s a link between sexting and STDs? Have you ever sent a nude photo? Do you always use condoms? Has anyone ever sent you a nude photo? Tell us in the comments!

Yup – put it on! | Source: ShutterStock

We’ll be honest: condoms can be a little bit annoying. It can be kind of embarrassing to be seen buying them, choosing one out of the hundreds of varieties can be slightly overwhelming and looking for one in the heat of the moment can sometimes frustrating. What’s even more frustrating is when you start hooking up with a dude who says he doesn’t like condoms. Because guess what? No matter how annoying they might be, condoms are non-negotiable, girls.

If you’ve ever heard a guy say they can’t “get it up” with a condom on, then you know what we’re talking about. And that’s the exact problem this girl in our message boards is having: her boyfriend isn’t a fan of rubbers. Since this is a totally common issue, we wanted to see what you guys would do in this situation. Read what these girls had to say and then let us know what you think.

Queendamane said:
Okay, so what do you do if your boyfriend hates condoms… and you aren’t be able to get back on birth control for another month?

orange said:
Ask him if he would rather use a condom or get you pregnant?

echojax said:
There are other options then being on the pill or using condoms. No need to refrain from sex just because one type of birth control doesn’t work for you guys, because there are PLENTY of other types to use:

Source: ShutterStock

The sponge
Diaphragm
Shot
Patch
Female Condom

Go to the Planned Parenthood website. They give you plenty of hormonal and non-hormonal types of birth control you can use. And they explain where to get them and price costs.

Our response? Like we said before, condoms might be annoying, but guess what? They’re a million times better than dealing with an unexpected pregnancy or getting an icky STD. Although there are other types of birth control like echojax says, she’s actually wrong because the only type of BC that protects you against both pregnancy and STD/STI’s are condoms. The pill, the sponge, a diaphragm, a shot and the patch are not going to protect you against diseases. Sure, they’ll help prevent pregnancy, but protecting yourself against a disease is equally as important as preventing bringing a baby into the world.

If a guy tells you he doesn’t want to use a condom, you tell him this: no condom, no sex. Simple as that. There are tons of different types of condoms out there, from super thin ones to ones that are ribbed for extra pleasure. There’s honestly no excuse for not wearing them. Your future isn’t worth being jeopardized over the fact that one dude isn’t into rubbers… even if you have been in a monogamous relationship for a while. If he won’t wear a condom, that shows disrespect towards you, and that’s just not cool.

Have you ever dated a guy who didn’t like condoms? What did you do? What would you say if a guy told you he didn’t want to wear one? Tell us in the comments!

Is a condom enough birth control?

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Condoms: totally awesome, but unfortunately, not 100% foolproof. | Source: Shutterstock

My boyfriend and I had just finished getting it on and he sat up, looked down at my crotch, and said calmly, “You have a drizzling of semen on your pubes.” I, however, did not reply so calmly, and instead yelled, “ARE YOU F___ING KIDDING ME?!” He shook his head and I stared at the ceiling for a second, thinking maybe I was about to get pregnant, and feeling cheated because we had used a condom, although of course condoms aren’t 100% foolproof (condom failure or user error, we’ll never know). And all of a sudden, I remembered something and a calm came over me too. “Well,” I said, “let’s get cleaned up and go to a pharmacy for Plan B.”

In case you’re not sure what Plan B is, I’ll clarify: taking Plan B (often called the “morning-after pill”) within 72 hours of birth control failure (or failure to use birth control) can prevent pregnancy. If you’re like, “Huh?!,” just stay with me here. Sperm can live up to several days inside of you, and an egg may not be right there yet, waiting to be fertilized. Taking Plan B prevents ovulation (when your ovary releases an egg) and also helps prevent any egg that is there from attaching to your uterine wall. Basically, it can keep the sperm and the egg from hooking up. (By the way? Plan B is NOT the same as RU-486, which induces a chemical abortion. If you’re already pregnant, Plan B will not cause an abortion, and you’ll stay pregnant unless you decide to do something else about it.)

ANYWAY. Back to my story! My guy and I didn’t have to discuss, debate, or despair about the decision. Before my boyfriend and I had ever had sex, we’d had a discussion about what would happen if I got pregnant. It wasn’t much of a discussion even then: neither of us want kids, and so terminating a pregnancy would be the only acceptable option for us in the case of a pregnancy–but preventing a pregnancy through Plan B seemed even better.

You have 72 hours to take it after an incident in which you think you might have gotten pregnant, but why wait? We went out immediately to purchase it. Asking the pharmacist for Plan B was a little awkward (even though Plan B is non-prescription for women over 17, it’s stored behind the pharmacist’s counter, so you do have to ask for it), although the pharmacist seemed unfazed. She confirmed that the accident had occurred within the last 72 hours, then handed me a box and briefed me on possible side effects (nausea, fatigue, headaches, dizziness). My boyfriend and I plunked down $40 (cost varies depending on where you buy it, and you can also print a $10 discount coupon from Plan B’s website). I figured it was absolutely worth the money, because an abortion would cost WAY more), I put the Plan B in my purse, and off we went. “Bottoms up,” I nervously said in the car, took a swig of juice, then swallowed the pill. I went out with friends for hours afterward; I didn’t feel any side effects.

Taking Plan B let me continue living my life. | Source: Shutterstock

I got my period right on schedule a couple weeks later. At no point have I regretted taking Plan B; neither my boyfriend nor I were emotionally or financially stable enough to have a baby, besides the fact that neither of us wanted to be parents, period. I hope to never have to do it again, although should I be faced with another birth control failure (protection=really important!!!), I know I would. I made the right choice.

Have you ever taken Plan B? Do you know anyone who has? Do you think Plan B should be available to teenagers without their parents permission? Tell me everything in the comments!

Now, Let’s Talk About Abortion . . . Really.

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