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Tuesday, April 06, 2004“This is completely pointless,” the 24-year-old Chicagoan said of the warning telling him that, while condoms can help prevent the spread of some sexually transmitted diseases, there are no guarantees. Even so, that tiny bit of print is at the center of a raging debate now that President Bush has asked the Food and Drug Administration to modify the current warning to include information about human papillomavirus, commonly called HPV or genital warts. ...“The lack of information getting to the American public regarding this disease is beyond comprehension,” said Linda Klepacki, manager of the abstinence policy department at Focus on the Family, a Colorado-based organization. She and others point to research showing that condoms don’t necessarily prevent the spread of HPV, in part because it may be found on parts of the body the latex devices don’t cover. Abstinence is the best way to prevent the disease, she argues. Adding that information to a condom label would be “truth in advertising,” said Libby Gray. She’s the director of Project Reality, an Illinois-based group that teaches public school students about abstinence — and notes that most students she speaks with have no idea what HPV is. But scientists who study HPV worry that abstinence groups are dismissing important information to promote their own values. “I want to be polite. But it appalls me when I see scientific and medical studies being manipulated for a different agenda,” said Tom Broker. He’s a professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and president of the International Papillomavirus Society, a coalition of experts who study HPV. A label warning that condoms aren't 100% effective is probably a "different agenda" than Mr. Broker's, but is it really manipulating science or is it just common sense? Let's see what the trusted family physician has to say on the subject: Can STDs be prevented? Yes. The only sure way to prevent STDs is by not having sex. If you have sex, you can lower your risk by only having sex with someone who isn't having sex with anyone else and who doesn't have an STD. You should always use condoms when having sex, including oral and anal sex. Do condoms prevent STDs? Male latex condoms can reduce your risk of getting an STD if used correctly (see the box below). Be sure to use them every time you have sex, during all types of sex, including vaginal, anal and oral sex. Female condoms aren't as effective as male condoms, but should be used when a man won't use a male condom. Remember, though, that condoms aren't 100% safe and can't protect you from coming in contact with some sores, such as those that can occur with herpes, or warts, which can occur with HPV infection. Who knew that the AAFP was a front for those right wing political organizations? posted by Sydney on 4/06/2004 08:05:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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