Should Elementary Schools Give Condoms to Students?

[Karmadillo]

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/elementary-schools-give-condoms-students-provincetown-mass-thinks/story?id=11000469

When kindergarten through fifth grade students return to class at Veterans Memorial Elementary School in Provincetown, Mass., this fall, they'll be able to ask the school nurse for condoms.

A controversial new policy in Provincetown will allow at Provincetown's elementary school students access to condoms. School committee members unanimously approved the new policy last week, which allows students to request condoms from the school nurse or a counselor, even if their parents object.

Thanks to a new, district-wide policy approved by the Provincetown School Board, condoms are now available to students in all schools, regardless of their age. Parents will not be informed if their kids request condoms.

Officials say that there's no set age when sexual activity starts and students who ask for condoms will also receive counseling and information on abstinence.

more...

[snooper2]

1. That's jacked up...

nt

[sufrommich]

2. Is this a joke? No, they shouldn't. nt

[femmocrat]

3. This is the kind of stuff that gives fodder to the right wing.

Now they will accuse us of "passing out condoms" in the public schools. :eyes:

Why would a kindergartner need a condom, or even know what they are for? :shrug:

[SoCalNative]

11. Water ballon fights!

:rofl:

[femmocrat]

21. Yes, my thought, too.

And once one kid gets a condom, they will all be at the nurse asking for them!

[AnArmyVeteran]

45. If you use an air pump they can expand to over 6 feet and 1 foot around.

They make the best helium balloons. But probably not for children's parties, especially the ribbed ones or those with the reservoir tips.

[Tailormyst]

23. Frankly the RW already thinks P-town is a heathens playground

It's a well known GBLT, pagan, artist, hippie, tree-hugging, communist haven.

[WI_DEM]

4. It's a sad commentary on the times when Kindergarten - 5th graders need condoms.

Society is pushing kids to grow up too soon. Let them be kids, for heaven sakes.

[Warpy]

10. I knew someone who was the school tart at eleven

and that was over 50 years ago. It happens. She had scars from it, but at least those were the days of condom dispensers in men's rooms so she didn't present her parents with a grandchild at eleven or twelve, abortion being illegal.

I prefer the open bowl of condoms in the nurse's office, available to grab without comment. Every nurse I ever worked with who had kids over twelve had a box of condoms in a drawer in the kitchen and replenished it as necessary, again without comment.

One thing parents need to realize is that they don't own their children's bodies and that their children have the right to make stupid decisions. Allowing them access to something that will avoid having them die from those decisions is the right thing to do.

We might find it sad that a ten year old child would need condoms. However, it's unrealistic to think that they don't.

[FSogol]

13. I agree. Excellent reply. n/t

[sufrommich]

There is no such thing as an 11 year old "tart". Any girl or boy

sexually active at 10 or 11 probably has been abused at some point. Handing them a condom and saying "sorry about your short lived childhood,kid" is not the answer.

[Warpy]

28. You need to get one thing through your head

and that it's the kid's decision, not yours.

[sufrommich]

29. Seriously?? Do you have kids? Never in a million years

would I tell my 11 year old exhibiting destructive behavior "well, that's your decision". I wouldn't want my child's school taking that position either.

[Warpy]

31. It doesn't matter what you tell them

because it's not your decision. It's theirs.

[seabeyond]

32. it does REALLY matter what you tell them. teach them. set as an example and evironment you provide

them.

yes the decision is theirs.

but we all know there is much more in parenting than understanding that ALL people, including children, make their own choices. a parent who is doing their job would not have a child making this choice so young. it is THAT simple.

[Warpy]

54. ....and they'll do what they want to, anyway

FWIW, I got the where babies come from lecture at 10 and the birth control lecture at 12. I didn't become sexually active until the dying gasp of my teenage years, when I was 19. Most of my friends were sexually active from 14-16. What my parents told me or didn't tell me had no effect. It was my life and my decision and I knew it.

Kids are not going to consult their parents about that aspect until after it has happened, and that's the best case scenario. Some parents don't find out until the daughter is visibly pregnant or the son is getting sued or they request a trip to the doctor 'cause they don't feel right "down there."

I'm afraid too many parents live in an idealized, "not my child" world. As a nurse, I can tell you that world simply does not exist.

Give your kids the tools they'll need to survive the world they live in. It's better than relying on your awesome dictatorial powers, trust me.

[seabeyond]

62. i am all for this and have plenty of conversations with my boys.

and still, i am connected with the children and know basically what is up in their life. i have an idea. i dont want to know certain aspects. it is theirs to live and experience and i tell them that too.

that isnt my point.

to act as if a parent has NO influence on a child and the decision they make is only lazy parenting.

[11 Bravo]

94. Horseshit.

There are decisions that some 11 year olds are not ready or qualified to make. Your approach would be a total abbrogation of parental responsibility.
I hope you don't have kids, but if you do, hand the car keys to your 11 year old and tell them, "Hey, if you decide to drive all over the mean neighbor's yard and garden, eventually plowing through their bedroom wall, well, that's your decision."
Let us know who the responsible party is when the bill comes due.

[Greyhound]

36. And they say religion is harmless...

:eyes:

[seabeyond]

37. what does religion have to do with either posts, or any of this? nt

[Greyhound]

41. The idea that kids having/learning/experimenting with sex is firmly rooted

in contemporary religion.

There is absolutely nothing "sinful" or unnatural about it as it is pure biology. If it weren't for 10-year-olds having babies, we would not exist as a species.

[seabeyond]

44. so you advocate 10 yr old fucking around and if a person, adult, parent does not

then it has to do with religion.

whatevah....

[Greyhound]

77. No, I say that children taking their new toys out for a test drive is to be expected

and there;s nothing wrong with that. Like drugs, though not completely benign, attempts to impose a prohibition on it is more harmful with far reaching unintended consequences.

[daleanime]

51. Culture and religion are not necessary the same thing...

one may have an large impact on the other, but they differ extensively. Culture has decided that '10-year-olds having babies' is a bad thing, I whole heartily agree. What may have been necessary in the past is unwelcome today, our existence is not so tentative that 'the women folk' need to reproduce ASAP. We can and should wait for full mental and physical growth before making personnel choices.

However, let's face it, the concept of 'sin' makes this conversation harder to have.

[seabeyond]

53. which is why i stepped into this conversation. i dont see a single post suggesting "sin". nt

[Greyhound]

61. It is implicit in the reply I replied to. n/t

[seabeyond]

63. an i saw no suggestion at all it had to do with religion, hence my question to you.

it isnt there. yet you get to decide what poster means without any evidence and do your scorn of religion. the best we have is the word that is written. anything else is simply made up. there are plenty of reasons any adult, parent or otherwise would be bothered with a 10 yr old having sex, except you. see, i used the words YOU gave me.

[Greyhound]

68. The unfounded belief that "Any girl or boy sexually active at 10 or 11 probably has been abused.."

is based on religious dogma, as does the concept that sex is wrong, of to use their terminology, sinful.

The fact that this question (the OP) is even asked is due to the bizarre social structure that we have built on that mythology.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

69. I don't think it's based on religious dogma.

It's just a dumb non sequitor.

[Greyhound]

81. What a magnificent contribution.

:eyes:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

82. So is blaming religious dogma, for that matter.

[seabeyond]

98. sex at 10, probably abused is a factual statistic. and to say sex is wrong at 10 has nothing to do

with sin or religion.

[Greyhound]

59. You cannot separate any culture from the dominant religion.

"Culture" did not decide that young men & women should not have sex, the religious beliefs that pervade the population dictated that.

Why Bar/Bat-Mitzvah at 13?

[daleanime]

66. I think you answer your own question....

What's a Bar/Bat-Mitzvah? Doesn't sound very Christian to me. If I come across as snipe or rude, please forgive me, bit a headache this morning.

[Greyhound]

70. There's my point right there. I wrote religion, you read Christianity.

I then used a Jewish ceremony to illustrate the point and you reply that that's not Christianity, though Christianity is completely based in Judaism.

The Bar (for boys) Bat (for girls) Mitzvah is a ceremony held at 13 years of age to welcome these new adults into the Jewish community.

[daleanime]

79. You did read my heading, right?

That's why I said that you answer your own question. That's something all of us(humans) do, we see what we expect to see.O8)

[Greyhound]

89. Y'know, that's a problem with multiple conversations.

:blush:

[daleanime]

104. Been there...

oh boy have I been there.:toast:

[Raksha]

80. Bar/Bat Mitzvah at 13--that was my culture's best guess at the average age of puberty.

It's actually 12 1/2 years for girls and 13 for boys, if you want to get technical about it. For convenience, the ceremony is now done at age 13 for both sexes. But a child BECOMES Bar/Bat Mitzvah at that age whether any ceremony is performed or not. Having a Bat Mitzvah ceremony for girls is of course a fairly recent development in any branch of Judaism.

Among the Orthodox especially in the past parents really did marry off their children shortly after they reached Bar/Bat Mitzvah age. That was in the days of arranged marriages of course, and in those regressive Jewish backwaters where arranged marriages are still practiced. Not too many of them exist any more, but I can't say there's no precedent for it.

What I still don't get is why condoms (or sexual activity, for that matter) would be a factor in a child's life BEFORE puberty. Of course my cousin did have her first menstrual period at age 10, so I guess "average age of puberty" means just that.

[Greyhound]

85. Thank you and that's what I'm writing about.

I thought it was the ceremony, hopefully I'll remember that.

And that was my only point, that our societal views on sexuality are so messed up and that is because they are based on religious dogma.

[Raksha]

93. A very important corollary to reaching Bar/Bat Mitzvah age

is the belief that the age of puberty corresponds to the age of moral respsonsibility. Before puberty, a child's "sins," if any, are counted against the parents and not the child. So a child before puberty isn't considered capable of sin for all practical purposes. But after puberty the whole thing changes.

"You've had your Bar Mitvah; your sins are on your own head now." I actually overheard a Jewish father say that to his son when the kid wanted to go to a science fiction convention on Yom Kippur!

[TransitJohn]

107. Sex play is pretty normal in early adolescence

I wouldn't say that 10 or 11 year olds engaging in sexual exploration were necessarily sexually abused.

[Arkansas Granny]

22. Sad, but true, some children are sexually active long before you would expect.

Making condoms available to them is a smart move, IMO. When I suspected that my children might be sexually active, I kept a box of condoms in the bathroom cabinet. I don't know how many got used for their intended purpose or how many were used for water balloons, but I kept replacing them as they disappeared. It seemed like providing them with the means to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and STDs was a lesson in responsibility.

[Name removed]

72. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Warpy]

78. She used a worse word, herself

because she'd done it with everybody and done it for money.

However, she hadn't been abused.

Kids act out for all sorts of reasons.

[Name removed]

73. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[hedgehog]

5. Some fifth graders are already sexually active. With those

kinds of problems, they don't need an STD or baby to go with.

[Xithras]

24. Yep.

I've told the story here before of the 12 year old I slept with. I was 15, she claimed to be 14, and I later discovered that she was really a 12 year old 5th grader. Ewwww.

The most disturbing part, for me, isn't that she was having sex at 12, or that I wasn't her first. It was that she was good at it and obviously had a lot of experience in bed. Being a typical self interested 15 year old, I didn't think about it much at the time (I was just angry at her for lying and putting me at so much risk). Looking back on it 20 years later, I really kick myself for not alerting someone to the situation.

The biggest advantage to making condoms available in elementary school is NOT the possible reduction in STD's and pregnancy among elementary age kids. The BIGGEST reason for doing it is that doing so allows the school nurse to identify the kids who are having sex at that age, to have conversations with them, and to try and identify why and how they became sexually active. In many cases, it's an opportunity to stop abuse. When an 11 year old is having sex, more often than not, there is some sort of abuse involved.

[jtuck004]

6. Good. It's no fun delivery babies to 6th graders, and if this keeps

just one kid from an STD, it is all worth it.

It also provides an opening so that kids can learn about this from their parents and teachers, not the superstitious crap they
learn from their classmates WAY b4 the parents and teachers think they do.

[Love Bug]

7. I have a real problem with this

It sounds like they mean well (fighing STDs and all) but the idea that a fifth grader should be engaging in sexual activity with even another fifth grader is just wrong. These are pre-pubescent children. I'm not saying kids that age never engage but I'll bet when they do it's a situation of incest or molestation.

A request for a condom in this situation should result in an intervention, not the adults in charge washing their hands of the whole thing.

[sufrommich]

8. +1. nt

[daleanime]

19. Yes, there is a real problem here...

if a request leads to an intervention, who's going to make the request? Let's face it, there's no way to deal with this problem that everyone will approve of. I prefer to focus on the kids health, mental and physical.O8)

[seabeyond]

38. mental and physical... the condom may take care of the physical

but the lack of counseling and notifying parent ignores the mental. so the two, with this decision, counter one another.

the whole problem with this issue is can only take care of one. take care of the physical, ignore the mental. take care of mental, leaves child open to the physical problems that will then create more mental.

[daleanime]

40. Are we reading the same article?

the OP states that the kids receive counseling and information. 'Notifying the parent' has to be done by the child, when their ready. If the school violates that kind of trust do you really think the kid is going to trust anyone?

[seabeyond]

47. i dont see how a school can notify the parent which creates the whole quandry i mention.

dont read more into my post than what it is. i was specific in what i said.

IF a child at ten is having sex, the parent should know about it and deal with the real issues. BUT for a child at 10 to be having sex there are already issues as far as parenting goes. so to keep the child physically safe they need the condom and they need to not notify the parent. which is counter to the whole parenting issue.

[daleanime]

58. Sorry, looked to my like you were calling for...

parental notification, which doesn't create the problem, just makes the problem bigger(IMO).

My apologies if I 'misunderstood' you.O8)

[seabeyond]

65. the point is, a 10 yr old having sex needs guidance and issue address.

who better than the parent. yes i have issue with a parent not being told what a 10 yr old is doing as monumental as having sex and all the repercussions, yet...

if a 10 yr old is having sex, i would guess, and only a guess, there are already parental issues.

see the quandary?

[daleanime]

76. Yes, and that would be ideal....

but we have to ask why?

Why this child hasn't gone to a parent for this information/item?

Are they uncomfortable talking about this at home?

Have they been lead to believe that they are evil/sinful?

You have to remember, the child knows it's parents better then the school does. If the child doesn't want to talk to the parents, they may have good reasons. Good guidance is better then shutting down all communication. Right?O8)

[seabeyond]

99. the why question for the child to answer is why they think it appropriate or desirable to

be having sex at ten.

[daleanime]

103. Of course...

O8)

[Raksha]

84. No, it absolutely should NOT result in an intervention,

at least not in such a way that the child connects it with the request for a condom.

Re >>A request for a condom in this situation should result in an intervention, not the adults in charge washing their hands of the whole thing.<<

I totally get what you are saying about precocious sexuality being a sign of sexual abuse. Very often it is just that. But even in those situations, you don't want to discourage any child from using condoms if they are available. That could happen if the word gets around the school that taking a condom from the nurse's office will result in an invention.

[Warren Stupidity]

102. So when word gets out that you will get intervened onif you ask for a condom

then of course the sexually active elementary school kids will not ask for condoms. So what have you accomplished if we do things your way?

[SocialistLez]

9. Not in elementary, middle school...maybe. High school: HELL YES!!

[LuvNewcastle]

12. Would a condom fit a child that age?

Really.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[blondeatlast]

14. Regrettably, I say yes. I don't like that there is a perceived need for them, but since they must

go to the nurse or a counselor, I can see where it might save a life or a future.

[crim son]

15. No.

Definitely not.

[EOTE]

16. If kids are asking for condoms, chances are they're sexually active.

And if they're sexually active, they should be as safe as possible. I don't see this as encouraging sexual activity, it seems more like 'damage control'. I think this is a good thing, especially considering that the kids who ask for them also receive counseling and information on abstinence. I can't see what's wrong with this.

[Tailormyst]

17. I have no problem with this

Kids need to be talked to often and early. Abstinence does not work. Kids are having sex.

[One_Life_To_Give]

18. Should pregnancy at 13 be common?

Unfortunately that seems to be the age now that we start to see significant numbers of young girls becoming mothers. It seems like a Band-Aid approach to me. But sometimes that is the best medicine you have on hand. It will take quite some time to identify and implement solutions that would accomplish the same goals of delaying motherhood for these poor girls.

[Renew Deal]

46. 13 is not elementary school

Unless the kid is left back.

[daleanime]

60. But 12 is right?

And if their giving birth at 13, then they were having sex at....?

[seabeyond]

20. if a child that young is going to have sex, condom is good. a child that age having sex have bigger

problems and a parent should be told to be able to address the issue. if a child has that big of an issue, the parent should already be aware of it and deal with it. the fact the parent is not aware what is going on with a child this age says everything about the kids choices.

i really dont have any given position on this because it is so wrong, yet shouldnt be happening, yet is happening.

[aikoaiko]

26. 5th grade -- thats 10 or 11 years old?

If 10 and 11 year olds are engaging in sex where penises are entering orifices, then social services probably needs to get involved.

[Xithras]

56. 5th grade can be up to 12 years old.

Kid is born late in the year and the parents don't want him/her in kindergarten at 4, so they delay it a year (a very common occurrence). The kid enters kindergarten at 5, and turns 6 a couple of months into the school year.

At that point, the kid only needs to be held back once to become a 12 year old 5th grader.

[One_Life_To_Give]

83. Could be 6th grade in that elementary

I looked up Provincetowns schools online. It claims 2 schools in the system, Elementary PK-5 and High 7-12. My guess is the 6th graders are actually in the Elementary and not either furloughed for the year or hanging out with the Juniors.

[aikoaiko]

91. True, but I think sex acts with penile penetration is still considered a red flag for abuse

in children (as opposed to non-penetrative sex play). I realize it's just a single item on a list of criteria, but I would think mandated reporting could be triggered when nurses or teachers hand over condoms to pre-teens. And 12 is the extreme upper end. Its not clear that 7 and 8 year olds aren't being given access to condoms.

I'd be interested in hearing from a practicing therapist on the status of penetrative sex and its correlation to sexual abuse.

[calico1]

27. Not ideal but better than pregnancy or an STD.

That is, if they are going to have sex. According to the article I read most elementary school kids won't be getting condoms. It is intended mainly for teenagers.

[Mass]

30. You would hope parents talk to kids, but if they dont, it is better for kids to be protected.

[qb]

33. Yes. Sex ed should begin in elementary school, including using condoms to avoid STDs & pregnancy.

It is foolish to educate about safe sex without providing a means of accomplishing it.

[pinstikfartherin]

34. Kids learn about and start having sex at such young ages...

It isn't ideal for young kids to be having sex, but the fact is that some of them do. Perhaps the counseling will help to discover why they are having sex (or wanting to have sex) and open doors for conversations that kids don't want to have with their parents. I would rather be safe than sorry.

I remember throughout school having those abstinence speeches, being asked to sign an abstinence pledge. It was a joke. It wasn't until my senior year of high school that someone came in speaking of abstinence and STDs. The woman spoke of different STDs, what they cause to happy to your body, etc. It was much more informative that abstinence only education.

If kids are having sex, they should not only be told about abstinence; they need to be clearly educated on the consequences that can occur such as pregnancy, STDs, etc. Kids so young should not be having sex, but if they are going to do it anyway, they need to be armed with information to keep themselves and other safe.

[chrisa]

35. Let kids be kids?

In a perfect world, these kids would enjoy their childhood and play with Legos and Barbies, or whatever. Unfortunately, the world is not perfect (far from it), and this policy is probably the response to a problem at the school.

[JHB]

39. I'll admit to conflicting reactions...

I have the same inner-scream reaction as so many other people to "condoms" and "elementary school" in the same sentence.

However, the tail end of elementary school was about when I first started noticing girls with those first, fuzzy precursors of interest. It wasn't what (as an adult) I'd call sexual, but it was certainly the beginnings of it.

Once I get past the burst-a-blood-vessel panic attack at the notion, I do think it's a good thing have protection and sex put together from the get-go, including things that aren't sex yet. (for both sexes, but boys especially. None of that "real men don't use..." bullshit. And for girls not to put up with it.) Certainly even moreso for those cases where someone in that age range (for reasons that range from foolish and reckless to sad to downright evil) actually are engaged sexual activity (buying them at the drug store is highly unlikely).

One of those "education and precaution does not equal advocacy" things, i guess.

[FedUpWithIt All]

42. If they are seeking out an adult to get a condom, then it should be given to them.

I think there should be SERIOUS protocol in place to make sure the child is not sexualized due to abuse. I also think there should be mandatory counseling. But i have always felt that safety comes first, especially when we are speaking about adolescents.

If a child in elementary school is looking for condoms, he is either very curious (which is a great time for a "discussion") or already active in some potentially dangerous way.

[MrScorpio]

43. Only to the kids who are already having sex. nt

[seabeyond]

48. condo works better after the act? bah hahaha. nt

[MrScorpio]

55. Not every kid is going to conceive the first time out of the gate

At least condoms have a better rate of success than abstinence only edjimication in the long run.

[seabeyond]

67. so you are really suggesting our kids do it the first time without protection, lol?

what if ONE kid ended up preg the first time out, lol. or, what if that kid did it with a more experience and ended up with std or something worse.

[EFerrari]

49. Good.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

50. The headline makes it sound as if --

the school is handing them out every day along with the school lunch pudding cup. :eyes:

Having them available at the nurse station or counselor is completely appropriate. They kids will have to seek them out and will get critical information in the process.

[seabeyond]

52. yes it does. and that was my first reaction, many kids not interested,

dont hand out. then reading, .... nurses office, i see. that is different. you are right.

[Iggo]

57. Only the ones that are fucking each other.

[Greyhound]

64. Of course. n/t

[Name removed]

71. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Raksha]

74. Why on earth would kids need condoms before reaching puberty?

That doesn't make any sense. I can understand making them available in junior high school, but elementary school??? I'm not saying it's wrong necessarily--I just don't understand the need for it.

[Dappleganger]

87. It is a fact that there are plenty of 5th graders who are reaching puberty

Girls in particular develop ahead of boys.

[Forkboy]

75. Kindergarten seems a little young, but as someone who lost their virginity at age 11....

...I know that kids are having sex way before the parents expect it. Ideally, the parents and kids would have a decent enough relationship that the son could ask one of them to get them for him. I know a couple of parents who do that for their kids with no embarrassment on either side.

[Dappleganger]

86. It's sad, but think about the kids who have been held back a year or two...

sometimes three years and rightly belong in middle school, but at the same time have developed enough that condoms may be a necessity. With the onset of girls' periods at such an early age PLUS the additional sexualization of our children before they are emotionally mature enough to handle a sexual relationship, this is necessary.

As a Mom to two girls and two boys, it breaks my heart to think of them needing this at that age but it is what it is. Sticking your head in the sand and hoping that abstinence works even for that age group just doesn't work.

[FreeState]

88. I have no problem with this at all

Its not like they are giving them out to everyone - they are available from the nurse is a student asks for them. Whats the problem?

[Tailormyst]

90. Before people get to upset, you should know about the town

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincetown,_Massachusetts

P-town is a gay village (more then 50% of residents are GBLT- a number that sky-rockets in the summer), an artists haven, a tiny little place of 3200ish people on the tip of Cape Cod. 1800 households and only 9% have kids. That means a little over 150 families in the entire school system.

The availability of condoms is not targeted at kindergarteners it is a policy that says any child regardless of age if able to request condoms.

The town is not concerned about this rule. Only people outside are concerned.

[Forkboy]

95. A great place to spend a day or two.

Used to live on the Cape and would visit often.

[Tailormyst]

97. Great place to go

I highly recommend it.

[ohheckyeah]

92. Unfortunately,

many of these young kids are probably sexually active.

I answer questions for ChaCha and you wouldn't believe the questions these kids ask. They can't even spell vagina, penis or pregnant but they ask questions that just blow one's mind. Yes, they are supposed to be at least 13 to text in but many of them don't appear to be.

Parents, wake up. Kids are inundated with bad information when it comes to sex and they are getting that bad info at a very young age. You may not want to believe that your child is interested in sex but you could be betting your child's life on that.

One misconception floating around with these kids is that a tube sock can be used as a makeshift condom. I got a question just last night asking what a good makeshift condom is and I replied NOTHING. Use a condom or don't have sex.

PLEASE don't assume a child isn't getting sex information or having sex just because they are under the age of 13.

[KonaKane]

96. Hell yes. The age of sexual activity has gone way down, if you noticed.

Because I sure have. When I was coming up, the average age a male like me first got sexually active was 16. Now I hear about 12 year olds who are getting into it. Yes, 12. Making sure at risk kids have condoms is only common sense.

And please don't give me any of that piffle about how its going to encourage kids to be more sexually active. That has been disproven time and time again.

[Amaya]

100. no

nt

[Warren Stupidity]

101. Yes.

Ask the question differently. "Should sexually active children be denied access to condoms?"

[Rage for Order]

105. Yes.

And if an elementary school-aged child gets pregnant anyway, school officials should be allowed to take the child to get an abortion without notifying the child's parents.

[proteus_lives]

106. Puke-worthy.

[Forkboy]

108. I agree. Kids getting STDs or pregnant, or both, sucks.

[jmowreader]

109. I didn't know kindergarteners were interested in sex!

News to me...but yes, if the kindergarteners prefer fucking to kickball, they should have condoms.