Word: condom
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Prom Night last week, senior class officers at Benicia High School in California assembled some party favors -- a gift-wrapped condom, a Planned Parenthood pamphlet advocating abstinence and a piece of candy. "We know Prom Night is a big night for a lot of people, sexually," senior Lisa Puryear told the San Jose Mercury News. "We were trying to spread a little responsible behavior." But administrators confiscated the 375 condoms, arguing that the school-sponsored event is no place for sex education...
Tonya, 17, began having sex when she was 12, but rarely uses a condom. "I know a lot of people who have died of AIDS," she says, "but I'm not that worried." Every six months she gets an AIDS test. "The only time I'm worried is right before I get the results back...
Before giving the Reality condom final approval, the FDA asked that two caveats be put into the labeling. First, the agency wants a statement that male condoms are still the best protection against disease. Wisconsin Pharmacal thinks the polyurethane used in the female condom may be more effective against viruses than the latex of male condoms, but not enough studies have been done to know for sure...
...second FDA demand is that the label compare the effectiveness of female condoms with that of other barrier methods of birth control. According to the FDA, in a study of 150 women who used the female condom for six months, 26% became pregnant. The manufacturer contends that the pregnancy rate was 21% -- and only because many women didn't use the condom every time they had sex. With "perfect use," company officials say, the rate is 5%, in contrast to 2% for male condoms...
Resolving the dispute over what failure rate to put on the label has delayed approval. However, the FDA is eager to get the product on the market, since it could be a lifesaver for women whose partners refuse to use a condom. Says FDA Commissioner David Kessler: "The female condom is not all we would wish for, but it is better than no protection...