h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I remember reading a story in the paper several years ago now, and ever since, I've been repeating it verbatim every time this kind of subject comes up in conversation. Maybe I should become a more interesting person....

A school not far from where I live got into a big controversy when the PTA suggested installing a condom vending machine in the toilets. (Yes, this was a *parent's* suggestion) There was a huge fuss, with lots of letters and so on going back and forth to the local paper, and eventually they were stopped from doing it.

Now, this is the bit that really gets me. The main argument (in fact, the only argument) I remember reading in all these letters *against* the installation of the machine was...wait for it....that it would cause an *increase* in teenage pregnancies. Yes, more condoms means more babies, folks, how did we manage to miss this fact all along?


(OK, I'll grant the fact that easier access to condoms does increase the likelihood of teenagers having sex, and *perhaps* there could be pregnancies as a result of torn condoms, etc. But there's no way that that's worse than if they're not using anything at all.)

Another notable point is that there were a surprisingly small number of complaints for what I'd call 'valid reasons' - such as "I'm a Catholic, and have a moral problem with this."

The only conclusion I can draw from this is that many adults (alright, parents) are in just as much desperate need of education as the teenagers are. The small enlightened group of parents who first suggested the idea were swamped with objections by a much larger group of ill-informed people.

I've got a good arguement against it: easy-make water balloons.

Good point!

D'you think the world is ready for flavoured and ribbed water balloons, though?

and at only $1 a balloon - will greatly reduce the risk of not only pregnancy, but water fights as well!

But just think: when they pop, you get hit with water AND lubricant.

How about "spray on" condoms, as was suggested in Ben Elton's "This Other Eden"...spray it on, and then when you need it on, spray on the solvent to get rid of it.

*need it off