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Condoms Instead of Candy Corn Causes Parents to Snicker and Snarl
Filed under: In The News, Sex
No, those aren't water balloons. Credit: Getty Images
So, when Halloween revelers in Oregon got prophylactics and a surprise safe-sex talk, it created quite a negative stir among some parents, the Statesman Journal reports.
In an attempt to send a message about AIDS, STDs and birth control (perhaps to prevent future baby Ruths?), Kathleen and Daniel Harris of Silverton, Ore., have been handing out condoms to teens on Halloween for more than 20 years, according to the local newspaper.
The swapping of sweets for sex-ed campaign began in the 1990s, during the height of the national AIDS epidemic, the couple tells the Journal. Dr. Daniel Harris, a family practitioner at Silverton Hospital, tells the newspaper that when he was delivering babies, 10 percent, or 14 of the 140 babies he delivered in a two-year period, were born to teenage moms.
In addition to their birth control talks, the couple also zeroed in on cavity prevention, passing out toothbrushes with chocolates.
Their neighbors, however, are not impressed with the Harris' public health initiative.
"It is hard for me as a parent to imagine any justification for giving children condoms without parents' consent," one father, who discovered a paper bag containing three condoms in his 14-year-old daughter's stash of candy, tells the Journal.
Kathleen Harris tells the newspaper that, during the last 20 years, she and her husband have had only one other complaint. With the condoms, the couple delivers a safe-sex speech. The condoms are not to encourage sex, but to let teens know what they look like, should they decide to have sex in the future, she tells the newspaper.
She adds that she and her husband tell teens they probably know someone who needs them, and to pass them along to that person.
"It's harm reduction," Kathleen Harris tells the Journal. "Kids are going to do these things anyway, so we want them to have to at least think about it ahead of time."
But following the protests, the Harrises admit giving teens condoms may be a mistake, and they'll limit their distribution to kids 16 or older next year, the newspaper reports.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
11-08-2010 @ 5:00PM
Alicia said...Uh, I think it's a fantastic idea. Especially since they're giving condoms and candy. I see no downside for the kid.
Reply
11-08-2010 @ 5:10PM
Michelle said...Kids are going to do these things anyway, so we want them to have to at least think about it ahead of time." is such a lazy thing to say. Like our teens don't have any other better to do and nothing else on their minds. Give our kids some credit. And leave the sex ed up to the parents!
These people have no business handing out birth control to our kids. This is not their job to do. This must be some kind of fetish they have. Trick or Treat is about candy, not condoms. And if they can't follow the rules of their city, then maybe they need to get arrested. This is almost as bad as a sex offender giving out candy. And how to they know the age of the kids? Do they ask each and every one? My kids are in grade school but some of the girls already look 16.
If they are so worried about safe sex and the use of birth control, they should go volunteer at their local Planned Parenthood.
When a child receives a condom from an adult, it is acutually promoting sex, because now some young kid who may have chosen abstinence because of no access to birth control, now has the "keys" to drive the car, so to speak. No one ever thinks about that.
Aren't most of the kids who go trick or treating still pretty innocent anyway? Well, now that's gone and the parents have to possibly explain to their kids what a condom is, before they wanted to have that talk. What a way to taint their childhood Halloween experience. Disgusting!
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11-08-2010 @ 6:06PM
Jacki said...A teenager is not going to chose abstinence due to lack of birth control. Nor is being given a condom by an adult going to be perceived by a teenage as an invitation to have sex. And no, most teenagers who are trick or treating are not still pretty innocent. I would assume that the grade school student even (especially) if they look 16 is trick or treating with an adult near by, whereas the true teenager tends to be with a group of like aged kids.
Also no where in the article did it say anything about the Harrises violating any city rules.
11-08-2010 @ 5:40PM
Jerry said...I think handing out condoms to older teens is a great idea. Remeber, these aren't small or even middle school children being given them. These are teens old enough to have sex and children of their own. We as a society should not bury our heads in the sand on this issue. The fact is, we state that teens should wear seatbelts, because that reduces traffic deaths. So does wearing bike and motorcycle helmets. The fact is, promoting contraceptions no more increases sexual activity than does promoting the wearing of seat belts. Teens not given information have rates of sexual activity just as high as those given this information.
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11-08-2010 @ 8:57PM
cady said...We need HIV/AIDS education. It's very important!! CDC has granted CSU $1.9M for HIV/AIDS education. The number of members on the largest STD dating&support site == stdchatting.com has reached 500,000 members. OMG! why so many people are infected by HIV/Aids? There is no doubt that we need SEX-ED
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