CONDOMS: LIFE SAVERS OR KILLERS?

"Condoms kill." Statement on a poster by pro-lifers demonstrating in front of a Red Cross office in Salt Lake City, UT.

The real public health question is not are condoms 100% effective, but rather, how can we more effectively use condoms to help prevent the spread of disease." AIDS Research Institute. ₁

"...don’t buy the 'safe sex' lie - it can kill you. The only 'safe sex' is no sex until marriage. You’re worth it - don’t let anyone tell you you’re not!" Quoted in "Condoms - Do They Really Work?," by AbortionFacts.com ₂

"Condoms are...up to 99.9 percent effective in reducing the risk of STD transmission when combined with spermicide." SIECUS fact sheet. ₃

Many of the leading Fundamentalist Christian organizations stated or implied that condoms are almost completely useless at preventing STD transmission. This belief was clearly expressed during a demonstration at Red Cross office in Salt Lake City, UT, during the 2002 Winter Olympics. A pro-life demonstrator held a poster which said, simply: "Condoms kill."

Most Public health officials, religious liberals, gays, lesbians, human sexuality researchers, physicians, STD personnel, etc., strongly advocate the use of condoms or latex dental dams during sexual activity. They feel that, properly used, they are effective in preventing the transmission of STDs.

Religious conservatives typically recommend a multi-point process for youth sexual behavior:

If everyone met these requirements, then the STD threat to young people would essentially end within a matter of years. Numerous biblical texts, particularly in the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) reinforce this approach. Paul wrote extensively about remaining celibate until marriage in some of his epistles.

Adding STD and pregnancy prevention information to school sex-ed classes sends students a double message -- that they should be celibate and that they should use condoms during sexual activity. This results in confusion. If young people are taught that they can take measures to avoid STDs and pregnancy, then they will become much more sexually active. They will also initiate their first sexual activity sooner in life.

In early 2002, some of the larger conservative Christian groups added a new component to their messages about youth sexual behavior: that condoms are ineffective at preventing STD transmission. They feel that access to condoms and to information about condoms will cause increased sexual activity, because young people will mistakenly believe that they are protected from pregnancy and STDs. Since condoms are ineffective at preventing STDs, the result will be more unwanted pregnancies, more abortions, more STDs, and more deaths.

Religious liberals, public health officials, and many others also promote abstinence as the only totally-reliable method of avoiding pregnancy and STD infection through sexual behavior. But, for those youth who have decided to become sexually active, they recommend the consistent and knowledgeable care and use of condoms. They note that students are, on average, becoming sexually active at the age of 15 or 16 in the United States. Some sex-ed classes have been successful in delaying sexual behavior by many months or up to two years. However, by the time that they reach college, almost all youths have been sexually active. By the time of their first marriage (at age 27 for men and 25 for women), pre-marital sex is near universal. Over 90% of young people have become sexually active. ₄ Sexually active youth need to know how to protect themselves against pregnancy and STDs. Otherwise, pregnancy rates will remain high, and many more young people will contract STDs. Some STDs, like AIDS, are currently incurable and often fatal.

Premarital celibacy was certainly promoted by Paul in some of his epistles. But he was addressing a very different, pre-scientific society. Today's situation is much different. In first century CE Palestine, abstinence was of great importance because there was no effective contraception techniques, no prevention methods for STDs, no effective medical treatments for any STDs, and the time interval between puberty and marriage was often measured in months -- not decades as in today's society.

Surveys have shown that inclusive sex-ed classes do not increase sexual behavior or encourage teens to become sexually active earlier. But students are motivated by the knowledge that they gain in class to make their sexual behavior safer. Easy access to condoms, and knowledge on how to use them properly, greatly reduce unwanted pregnancies and STD transmission. The result is fewer unwanted pregnancies, fewer abortions, fewer STDs, and fewer deaths.

Gayle Ruzicka, spokesperson for the Utah Eagle Forum said: "Of course, [the condom suppliers are] not bothering to tell them that the majority of the [STDs] out there have nothing to do with whether you do or do not use a condom." ₅

A coalition of pro-life groups and Fundamentalist religious organizations held a series of protests against the condom distribution in Salt Lake City. Two demonstrations were held at the Greater Salt Lake Area chapter of the American Red Cross. ₆ One of the pro-life posers read: "Condoms kill."

James Dobson, president and founder of the Fundamentalist Christian group Focus on the Family severely criticized Secretary of State Colin Powell for his recommendation to youth on an MTV program that if they are sexually active, they should use condoms. Dobson seems to have equated his knowledge to that of the Secretary of Health. He commented: "Colin Powell is the secretary of state, not the secretary of health. He is talking about a subject he doesn't understand. He clearly doesn't understand the science regarding condom efficacy... _7,8

Ken Conner, president of the Family Research Council (FRC), stated that Powell's comments were "reckless and irresponsible." ₉ In a mailing to "Friends of Family Research Council" on 2002-FEB-15, Conner said: "Colin Powell is a respected role model. His irresponsible remarks could lead millions of young people to believe that condoms protect against STDs.  They do not...Telling young people they can engage in sexual conduct and avoid STDs by using condoms is like throwing someone a life preserver in a tidal wave." ₁₀ Two days later, Conner seems to have slightly backed away from his earlier statement that implied that condoms were totally useless and ineffective. He wrote that "There are several sexually transmitted diseases condoms don't protect against." This would imply that condoms are effective protection against most STDs. He continued: "Secretary Powell, is promoting the lie that condoms 'protect' young people, giving them a false sense of security when they engage in life-threatening sexual behavior." ₁₁

On 2002-FEB-20, Concerned Women for America (CWA) posted an essay criticizing what they described as Colin Powell's "advocacy of condom use by teenagers and tacit approval of pre-marital sex for teenagers." The CWA president, Sandy Rios, commented: "Last year, an NIH study on condoms showed that condoms were not found to provide universal protection from any of the eight sexually transmitted diseases (STD) tested, including, HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, chancroid, trichomoniasis, genital herpes, and human papilloma virus (HPV)." ₁₂ It is unclear what CWA means by the term "universal protection." It is generally acknowledged that condoms are not perfect; they do have a small failure rate. In particular, HPV can be passed between sexual partners even if a condom is worn. This is because HPV can rarely infect areas of the skin not covered by a condom.

A conservative Christian from Australia, identified only by his Email address (ttremeth@ozemail.com.au) wrote on his web site that: "Condoms are made from latex which comes from a tree. Look at it under a microscope and you will see it has pores. These pores are significantly larger than the AIDS virus. Have you ever heard the saying 'You could drive a truck through it?' " ₁₃ (This Email is in error. There is no such thing as the AIDS virus. It is the HIV virus which is easily passed if a condom is not used; HIV leads to AIDS.

Heritage House's "AbortionFacts.com" states that: "In one test, 33% (1/3) of the latex condoms leaked HIV sized particles!" Also, "...the breakage and slip off rate during use is so high [that] it makes condoms ineffective for protection against HIV." ₂

Pro-Life America has an essay which includes selected physicians' quotes about condoms, including:

Focus on the Family, a Fundamentalist Christian organization, reported that Rep. Dave Weldon, MD, (R-FL) said that condoms do virtually nothing to stop the spread of the human papilloma virus. ₁₈

Tim Wildmon, spokesperson for the American Family Association, said: "We can't say 'Use condoms to prevent AIDS,' because condoms don't work." We need to communicate to the culture and to the world that biblical morality with respect to human sexuality is really the only true way to go to prevent disease." ₁₉

The Society for Human Sexuality says: "The single most effective thing you can do to stay healthy while being sexually active is to use latex condoms for intercourse (whether vaginal or anal)." ₁₅

Peer Health at Williams College in Williamstown Massachusetts informs fellow students that:

The AIDS Research Institute states that: "Using condoms can reduce the risk of infection of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV, for those people who are not abstinent....The real public health question is not are condoms 100% effective, but rather, how can we more effectively use condoms to help prevent the spread of disease." ₁

The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) states that: "Condoms are...up to 99.9 percent effective in reducing the risk of STD transmission when combined with spermicide." ₃