When a
former college president shared that he had installed vending machines with
condoms in the girls’ dorms, my face must have betrayed disapproval. After a pregnant pause, (sorry, couldn’t
resist) he further explained, “The girls asked me to do it because they wanted
to be responsible.”
former college president shared that he had installed vending machines with
condoms in the girls’ dorms, my face must have betrayed disapproval. After a pregnant pause, (sorry, couldn’t
resist) he further explained, “The girls asked me to do it because they wanted
to be responsible.”
I was my
husband’s date at a banquet he had been invited to as a county commissioner.
Sitting at a table of strangers, we made introductions and small talk. The
friendly, Mr. K explained that he was the retired president of a local
community college. “There were always unexpected surprises around every
corner,” he commented.
husband’s date at a banquet he had been invited to as a county commissioner.
Sitting at a table of strangers, we made introductions and small talk. The
friendly, Mr. K explained that he was the retired president of a local
community college. “There were always unexpected surprises around every
corner,” he commented.
“So tell us
about some of the surprises you encountered,” I inquired.
about some of the surprises you encountered,” I inquired.
“Well, one
day, three young ladies came into my office,” he began. “They seemed nervous. Then, one of them spoke
up, ‘Can you install a vending machine with condoms in our dorm?’ she asked.
‘Sometimes the boys forget.’”
day, three young ladies came into my office,” he began. “They seemed nervous. Then, one of them spoke
up, ‘Can you install a vending machine with condoms in our dorm?’ she asked.
‘Sometimes the boys forget.’”
Everyone at
the table was silent but Mr. K looked at me because I had asked the question.
In the face of my silence, he reassured me that the girls just wanted to be
responsible. I had spent my seconds of silence in prayer. “Dear Holy Spirit,
what should I say?”
the table was silent but Mr. K looked at me because I had asked the question.
In the face of my silence, he reassured me that the girls just wanted to be
responsible. I had spent my seconds of silence in prayer. “Dear Holy Spirit,
what should I say?”
“I think we
can be sure there aren’t any condom machines in the dorms at the University of
Mary,” I said with a smile. Everyone at the table chuckled, thinking I was just
making a joke. But the comment represented a statement of faith. The local
Catholic college president, Fr. James Shea, would sooner drive a wrecking ball
through such a contraption than have it on school property.
can be sure there aren’t any condom machines in the dorms at the University of
Mary,” I said with a smile. Everyone at the table chuckled, thinking I was just
making a joke. But the comment represented a statement of faith. The local
Catholic college president, Fr. James Shea, would sooner drive a wrecking ball
through such a contraption than have it on school property.
Certainly, Mr. K wanted the best for his
students. Sadly, he, like so many, have
been blindsided from the truth by society’s fixation on a lie; that safe sex
can be purchased from a machine rather than given as a gift by God to couples
who wait to open the gift after marriage.
However, even if we take God out of the argument, casual sex is clearly
harmful.
students. Sadly, he, like so many, have
been blindsided from the truth by society’s fixation on a lie; that safe sex
can be purchased from a machine rather than given as a gift by God to couples
who wait to open the gift after marriage.
However, even if we take God out of the argument, casual sex is clearly
harmful.
Quarters
Can’t Buy Responsibility
Can’t Buy Responsibility
Sex is powerful,
no doubt about it; life can be created, forever changed and even ended as a
result of it. Buying a condom does not
change that
no doubt about it; life can be created, forever changed and even ended as a
result of it. Buying a condom does not
change that
Condoms
don’t always work, even the organizations that push them say as much. According
to the Guttmacher Institute’s Family Planning Perspectives report, ““18 percent of couples who use condoms and 12
percent who take the Pill become pregnant within two years.” Most women
seeking abortions do so because of failed contraception.
don’t always work, even the organizations that push them say as much. According
to the Guttmacher Institute’s Family Planning Perspectives report, ““18 percent of couples who use condoms and 12
percent who take the Pill become pregnant within two years.” Most women
seeking abortions do so because of failed contraception.
“After reviewing the extensive literature on contraception, some variation in results is found. Reported failure rates for condom use vary from about 2 to 35 unplanned pregnancies per year, but a conservative consensus reveals a rate in the range of 8 failures per 100 users each year in the general population. Simple mathematics would conclude that after five years, the number pregnant with this method would be five times the yearly rate. Thus, after five years of condom use, there would be about forty pregnancies in this group of 100 real people …”
–Stephen Genuis, M.D. “What About the Condom?” Risky Sex (2nd Edition) [Edmonton, Alberta: KEG Publishing, 1991]. How many times did a baby’s life end or a couple’s life change forever because they thought a few quarters in a vending machine could buy freedom?
–Stephen Genuis, M.D. “What About the Condom?” Risky Sex (2nd Edition) [Edmonton, Alberta: KEG Publishing, 1991]. How many times did a baby’s life end or a couple’s life change forever because they thought a few quarters in a vending machine could buy freedom?
Levels of
Risk
Risk
Letting
hormones rule before marriage also means blotting out the risks sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs). Many health
experts testify that condoms cannot be counted on to protect against AIDS and
other STDs. In a quote from Dr. Harold Jaffe, chief of epidemiology, National
Centers for Disease Control, “Simply put, condoms fail. And condoms fail at a
rate unacceptable for me as a physician to endorse them as a strategy to be
promoted as meaningful AIDs protection.”
hormones rule before marriage also means blotting out the risks sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs). Many health
experts testify that condoms cannot be counted on to protect against AIDS and
other STDs. In a quote from Dr. Harold Jaffe, chief of epidemiology, National
Centers for Disease Control, “Simply put, condoms fail. And condoms fail at a
rate unacceptable for me as a physician to endorse them as a strategy to be
promoted as meaningful AIDs protection.”
STD
organisms are minuscule compared to sperm. So they can slip through a hole in a
condom much more easily than sperm. The AIDS-causing virus is so small that two
million of the disease-causing agents can fit on the period at the end of a
sentence. In 1993, the University of Texas found the results of 11 different
studies tracking AIDS prevention showed that the average condom failure rate
for preventing the AIDS virus was 31%. One reason is that many tiny intrinsic
holes that the AIDS virus can pass through. [Source: Dr. C. M. Roland, editor
of Rubber Chemistry and Technology].
organisms are minuscule compared to sperm. So they can slip through a hole in a
condom much more easily than sperm. The AIDS-causing virus is so small that two
million of the disease-causing agents can fit on the period at the end of a
sentence. In 1993, the University of Texas found the results of 11 different
studies tracking AIDS prevention showed that the average condom failure rate
for preventing the AIDS virus was 31%. One reason is that many tiny intrinsic
holes that the AIDS virus can pass through. [Source: Dr. C. M. Roland, editor
of Rubber Chemistry and Technology].
Sexually
transmitted diseases are an epidemic. In the 1950s there were only five that
were known and treated. Today there are more than fifty types of STDs.
transmitted diseases are an epidemic. In the 1950s there were only five that
were known and treated. Today there are more than fifty types of STDs.
Pam Stenzel
Internationally
acclaimed speaker, Pam Stenzel worked for nine years as a pregnancy counselor
in Chicago and Minneapolis. I heard her
riveting talk at a fundraiser last spring.
She explained, “Girls would come to my office and say: ‘Pam, if I had
known this was going to happen to me, I would have made a different choice. But
no one told me.” Pam has dedicated her life to telling people the truth.
acclaimed speaker, Pam Stenzel worked for nine years as a pregnancy counselor
in Chicago and Minneapolis. I heard her
riveting talk at a fundraiser last spring.
She explained, “Girls would come to my office and say: ‘Pam, if I had
known this was going to happen to me, I would have made a different choice. But
no one told me.” Pam has dedicated her life to telling people the truth.
In her DVD, Sex
Has a Price Tag, Pam said, “ Most teens who are having sex are afraid of
getting pregnant. Girls come into my office for pregnancy testing, and when I
tell a girl her test is negative, she gets a look of relief over her face, as
though to say: “I’m off the hook. I’m not pregnant. Let me out of your
office.”
Has a Price Tag, Pam said, “ Most teens who are having sex are afraid of
getting pregnant. Girls come into my office for pregnancy testing, and when I
tell a girl her test is negative, she gets a look of relief over her face, as
though to say: “I’m off the hook. I’m not pregnant. Let me out of your
office.”
“Wait a
minute! Have you been tested for syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, chlamydia,
trichinoma, vulvadema, urethritis, hepatitis B, HPV or HIV? You have a four
times greater chance of contracting a sexually-transmitted disease than you do
of becoming pregnant.
minute! Have you been tested for syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, chlamydia,
trichinoma, vulvadema, urethritis, hepatitis B, HPV or HIV? You have a four
times greater chance of contracting a sexually-transmitted disease than you do
of becoming pregnant.
“For nine
years I’ve also had to tell hundreds of girls their tests were positive —
“You’re pregnant.” Immediately they want an easy, painless way out. I
have to look at them and say: “Sorry. Your choices at this point are bad,
terrible, and worse. You had a good choice before you chose to have sex. Now
all of your choices are going to carry painful lifelong consequences.
years I’ve also had to tell hundreds of girls their tests were positive —
“You’re pregnant.” Immediately they want an easy, painless way out. I
have to look at them and say: “Sorry. Your choices at this point are bad,
terrible, and worse. You had a good choice before you chose to have sex. Now
all of your choices are going to carry painful lifelong consequences.
“There is no
easy way out of pregnancy. Abortion is painful, destructive, and devastating.
More than 80 percent of the women in our country who’ve had an abortion say
that if they could go back, they would have chosen something different.
easy way out of pregnancy. Abortion is painful, destructive, and devastating.
More than 80 percent of the women in our country who’ve had an abortion say
that if they could go back, they would have chosen something different.
“…Parenting
a child isn’t an easy choice either. Eight out of ten single teenage girls who
choose to parent their children will live below the poverty level for at least
ten years. Most stay there the rest of their lives. Nine out of ten will never
attend college.”
a child isn’t an easy choice either. Eight out of ten single teenage girls who
choose to parent their children will live below the poverty level for at least
ten years. Most stay there the rest of their lives. Nine out of ten will never
attend college.”
Pam points
out that men cannot count on getting off easy since the state can take a sizeable
portion of their paycheck to support the child they fathered. “A young man I
know who got a girl pregnant in Minnesota is being required by the State to pay
$350 a month to support his little girl. That’s based on his current income
working at Burger King.
out that men cannot count on getting off easy since the state can take a sizeable
portion of their paycheck to support the child they fathered. “A young man I
know who got a girl pregnant in Minnesota is being required by the State to pay
$350 a month to support his little girl. That’s based on his current income
working at Burger King.
“’Imade a decision one night after drinking,’ he said, ‘that I never would have
made if I had been sober. And I will pay for that decision for the rest of my
life.’ This is a very serious responsibility, young men. You need to think
about that before you have sex, because after having sex, it’s too late.”
When young
people understand they are trading peace of mind for sex, condoms in a vending
machine might not seem worth the price after all.
people understand they are trading peace of mind for sex, condoms in a vending
machine might not seem worth the price after all.
Pam states
that the message can be seen as positive and spread. “Here’s a good example . .
. Five senior guys at a high school in Orlando, Florida, bought full-page ad in
their yearbook. They put pictures of themselves with their prom dates in the
ad.
that the message can be seen as positive and spread. “Here’s a good example . .
. Five senior guys at a high school in Orlando, Florida, bought full-page ad in
their yearbook. They put pictures of themselves with their prom dates in the
ad.
The headline
reads: “True Love Waits” and goes on to say, “we are making a
statement to our fellow classmates that we will never abuse women, use them for
sport and dump them. We are choosing to save sex for our wives.”
reads: “True Love Waits” and goes on to say, “we are making a
statement to our fellow classmates that we will never abuse women, use them for
sport and dump them. We are choosing to save sex for our wives.”
Knowledge is
Power
Power
Schools are
in the business of teaching, duh!
Educating students as to the benefits of waiting is a much better
investment than a vending machine. In addition to the risks of STD’s and
pregnancy, surely many would commit or recommit to abstinence if they knew of
the Brigham Young University study that found couples who had waited until
marriage to have sex exhibited the highest percent of happiness by 22 percent.
“Regardless of religiosity, waiting helps the relationship form better
communication processes, and these help improve long-term stability and
relationship satisfaction,” study author Dean Busby, PhD stated.
in the business of teaching, duh!
Educating students as to the benefits of waiting is a much better
investment than a vending machine. In addition to the risks of STD’s and
pregnancy, surely many would commit or recommit to abstinence if they knew of
the Brigham Young University study that found couples who had waited until
marriage to have sex exhibited the highest percent of happiness by 22 percent.
“Regardless of religiosity, waiting helps the relationship form better
communication processes, and these help improve long-term stability and
relationship satisfaction,” study author Dean Busby, PhD stated.
Studies
repeatedly show that sex outside of marriage is emotionally destructive in the
long run and has been linked to low self-esteem, later marital dissatisfaction,
and greater likelihood of divorce. According
to a study by the National Survey of Family Growth, premarital sex increases
the odds of divorce by about 60 percent. People who have premarital sex run a
greater risk of marrying someone who’s not right for them. Sexual intimacy can
be emotionally blinding; clouding judgment and making couples feel closer than
they really are.
repeatedly show that sex outside of marriage is emotionally destructive in the
long run and has been linked to low self-esteem, later marital dissatisfaction,
and greater likelihood of divorce. According
to a study by the National Survey of Family Growth, premarital sex increases
the odds of divorce by about 60 percent. People who have premarital sex run a
greater risk of marrying someone who’s not right for them. Sexual intimacy can
be emotionally blinding; clouding judgment and making couples feel closer than
they really are.
So buying a
condom for a night of fun is stupid at best and fatal at worst. But it’s hard
for students to figure that out when adults in authority put up machines that
send the message: Go ahead, just buy a condom first. Maybe, given the facts, it’s time to require
warning labels on condoms. Warning: Use of this product could, ruin your mental
and physical health and lead to poverty, depression, failed marriages, and
death.
condom for a night of fun is stupid at best and fatal at worst. But it’s hard
for students to figure that out when adults in authority put up machines that
send the message: Go ahead, just buy a condom first. Maybe, given the facts, it’s time to require
warning labels on condoms. Warning: Use of this product could, ruin your mental
and physical health and lead to poverty, depression, failed marriages, and
death.
###
For books and DVD’s by Pam Stenzel go to
http://pamstenzel.com/
http://pamstenzel.com/
Hey, Patti!
First, great post! I don't know how many posts I've written on how contraceptives enable "sexual stupidity", how they don't make bad choices better. I'm glad you're working this angle as well.
Second, would it be possible for you to provide links or APA citations for the stats you quote? There are people out there who think we make this stuff up, pulling numbers out of hats. Plus, it would give us who work with you access to the sources for our own arguments. I'm starting to do both more, using APA citations for quotations out of printed sources and links for online material.
Again, great post! Keep up the good work! Pax tecum.
Good point, Anthony. Everything in the article was cited except the pregnancy rate for teens. I changed that paragraph and inserted a quotation from a reputable expert. Otherwise, the sources for the rest of the statistics are in the article.
Thanks for your insight and suggestion.
Excellent post, Patti. So many of these young women, after a decade of immoral sexual activity, wonder why they haven't found the right man to marry and have a family.If they do find a man to marry, they find that their past has left them sterile and haunted by memories.
No one ever warns them how their poor choices lead to misery. Thank you for getting the word out, with solid stats. I'll be sharing this.
Thanks, Leticia. I posted this on several pro-life websites and had a few people challenge me. They vehemently defended that they could have "responsible" sex outside of marriage. I did my best with a few explanations and viewpoints, but I think prayer is the best defense. The world has brainwashed so many.
Thanks for sharing.
Great post.I'm totally impressed by your post.You are shared the most impressive information with us.Nice work.
Cost of a Vending Machine
Thank you, John for your kind words.