Condom Dispensors

“Half of the 40,000 of the new HIV infections each year occur to individuals under the age of 25. That means that an average of two young people are infected with HIV every hour of every day.” (2) “In the United States, 45.6 percent of high school students and 79.5 percent of college students ages 18-24 have had sex. The average age at first marriage is 28.6 for men and 26.6 for women.” (3) Knowing these two statistics is important before choosing which side of the fence to belong to. The issue at hand is that Camden County College has decided to install condom dispensers within the campus bathrooms. A percentage of our population feels as though this encourages our students to explore sexual intercourse. However, they are wrong, and I will explain to you why it is an absolutely outstanding course of action to install the condom dispensers.

“Fifty-eight percent of teens who have had sex report not using contraception every time they have sex.” (1) Installing condom dispensers into the bathrooms means condoms will then be more readily available. By having condoms available in the bathroom students will no longer have to deal with the awkward situation of buying them at a store. I have witnessed this while with a friend. His one year anniversary with his girlfriend was coming up and he knew that they would have sex, but he was too shy to purchase the condoms. Fortunately for him I have no problems buying condoms so I bought them for him. Now, had I not been there to help my friend what would he have done? The answer to that question could be argued ten times over, however the problem could have been solved before it ever came about. The way to do that is to make condoms readily available while maintaining a level of privacy. Where is more private than the bathroom?

Secondly, installing vending machines filled with condoms plants a subconscious message into students minds. Let’s face it, college students are sexually active, and ignoring this fact only intensifies the problem. Installing a friendly reminder in campus bathrooms reminds students that if they’re going to have sex, make sure its safe sex. When used correctly male condoms are 98 percent effective, the female variety when used correctly are 95 percent effective. Using no condom equates to zero percent in effectiveness. I like my chances with the condom much more than without protection.

Finally, the era of sex being a taboo subject is history. Starting in middle school, and in some cases elementary school, students are being educated on the subjects pertaining to sex. The time