Anonymous Opinion Column: November: Condom Dispensers

This month’s focus: There has been debate in the HHS community about putting condom dispensers in the bathrooms to discourage unprotected sex. What do you think?

The opinions that the Broadside received on this issue did not range as widely as last month’s column. All of the responses supported making condoms readily avalible to the student body one way or another. One student wrote “Offer them! better protected than not.” This opinion was seconded by two students who both wrote “Great idea.” Another student expressed concerns on having dispensers in the bathrooms, saying “I think that if they were available openly in the bathroom there would definitely be some kids that would think they are toys or water balloons. It’s pretty much inevitable. Something would go wrong and then the Dean would ban the bathroom condoms.”

There is a second side to the debate that says that condoms should be availible only in the nurses office. One student wrote “Really people? is it that hard to just go to the nurse?” and “I, as an HHS responsible and aware student of the facts, think that they shouldn’t put them in the bathrooms. One could debate and say it is making it too accessible. It might encourage students to do it more and more and who knows what will that lead up to. I think if someone has the courage to attempt to practice safe sex, they can also have the courage to go into the nurse’s office and ask for a condom. By this, everyone is aware of everything.” and “Why not? I graduated HHS last year and I always wondered why condoms were never available in the school. At the very least they should be available from a dispenser in the nurse’s office. Safe sex should be encouraged. People are going to do it either way, and to encourage condom use is great.” There was no official poll taken on the subject, but it seems that the student body is split between putting the dispensers in the bathrooms and putting one in the nurses office.

This issue is currently being discussed and investigated in the Student Life sub-committee of Council and will be voted on by the larger Council Body with a recommendation from the committee to either pass, fail, or amend the original motion which read, “I move to have condoms available in the bathrooms.”