Distribution Problem
Jesus Jones
This
may come as a shock to some of you, but it has come to my attention during
my four years here at Terra Nova that sex is very much an integral part
of teenage life.
I do not mean to say that everyone and their brother is out screwing around (although it may seem like that sometimes), but there isn't one person out there who doesn't know someone who has, or wants to, or has been pressured to have sex. There's nothing shameful about it. Teens have sex; this is no new establishment, and adults realize this, so they tell us, if you're going to have sex, be safe. We are mandated by law to attend and pass a semester of Health, we are accosted on the radio and television with commercials that preach safe sex, and yet there are no places anywhere near Terra Nova where one can get contraceptives without drawing unwanted attention towards him or herself.
Let's suppose there's a couple who has calmly and logically discussed the situation and decides they want to take the plunge and engage in the ultimate show of intimacy (not usually how it happens, but we can dream). Now all they need is some protection. So they go down to their local Safeway and encounter not only several classmates who just happen to work there, but a few others who are buying chips and soda, a family friend who's doing his weekly shopping and a next-door neighbor who stepped out to get a gallon of milk. What was a very personal decision has now become public knowledge in a matter of minutes, and if either of their parents don't already know about what the young couple is planning, they will pretty darn soon. How nice.
Maybe to avoid this uncomfortable situation, these two go to a clinic in Daly City or San Francisco to get protection. First there's the issue of getting there; if neither one of them drives, it's going to take a while. Second, if they don't want their parents to know where they're going (and chances are they won't), they have to convince them they're going somewhere else. A lot of effort for a little latex. Or they could just say "the heck with it" and end up having unprotected sex in the heat of the moment, which, unfortunately, is not all that uncommon.
Although some anticipate getting it on, many people usually just get so caught up in the heat of passion that it barely even occurs to them to use protection. And are they going to stop everything just because the guy doesn't have a rubber? Not likely. How many girls are pressured into having sex every day? More than we'd like to think.
If a person has protection on hand, it's a whole lot simpler. There won't be any worry the next day, no pregnancy scares, no suddenly waking up with a life-long case of genital herpes. If only there was a basket of condoms sitting in the nurse's office, anyone could go in and pick one up for whatever reason. Maybe it's for their friend. Maybe it's just the novelty aspect. Maybe they want one "just in case." Or maybe they're planning on using it that very night. No one really knows, and it's not a big deal; they're being safe, and they're planning ahead. Isn't that what we're supposed to do?
It's wonderful to have the teen health people come into freshmen classes, take out "Mr. Pinky" or a banana and show the class how to use a condom correctly, but it doesn't do anyone a scrap of good if there's no real place they can go and inconspicuously pick up some protection. Why preach safe sex and then refuse to put resources out there with which it could be implemented? It doesn't make any sense. Teaching sex education is certainly a step in the right direction towards preventing STDs and unwanted pregnancy, but without making protection available, the information is, in effect, useless. Want kids to use condoms? Make them readily available. Today.