[XorNot]

This is a good idea which won't solve the underlying problems with poor condom usage in places which really need it (Africa).

That's being powered by deliberate misinformation campaigns and cultural leftovers, not the specific properties of condoms (though improving them is always a good idea).

[coffeemug]

When it comes to human life, things aren't binary. A 1% increase in condom usage can have massive impact on the health and safety of millions of people. It's another straw we can add to the camel's back.

[nl]

In some cases "underlying" problems (eg misinformation campaigns and cultural leftovers) are really just used as excuses by men who don't like how condoms feel. Fix that, and many will be happy to ignore those thing.

As an aside: don't forget the largest major anti-condom propagandists is not African at all (ie, the Catholic church).

[pauljburke]

>As an aside: don't forget the largest major anti-condom propagandists is not African at all (ie, the Catholic church).

That would be the curch that also goes on about abstinence before marriage and monogamy afterwards? Never understood why the church gets beaten up for that (not a fan of the stance on condom use but this implies people "religously" follow one of their rules while blatantly ignoring others).

[Sharlin]

The difference is that you can't really convince people to practice abstinence and monogamy. You can quite easily convince people to not use condoms. Failing to take this into account when you are in a position of authority is unethical at best. Spreading misinformation such as HIV being able to get through condoms is plain old evil.

[fakeanon]

If you abstain you have no chance of getting pregnant. It depends: http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/3167/do-condoms-... .

[comlonq]

Sex is part of human nature. It used to happen before Humans invented the notion of marriage. The church is trying to stop something that is intrinsically a part of us, that is a bad strategy and is actively making the world a WORSE place.

A better idea would be to encourage people to use condoms. This does not circumvent human nature and has a much better chance of working.

Don't defend ill thought out policy with bad logic.

[twoodfin]

Violence and war are also parts of human nature, that doesn't mean religions should give up preaching peace and forgiveness.

[comlonq]

Most people don't wake up in the morning with the urge to fight someone, a lot of people do wake up with the urge to have sex. Sex, like voilence, will always happen. We need to find a way to work with what we've got rather than trying to suppress are human needs.

[Adirael]

> people "religously" follow one of their rules while blatantly ignoring others

That's mostly how it works. People follow the rules they like and ignore the ones they don't.

[rplnt]

It's not just about (not) following rules. When you have no access to condoms because of the church, it doesn't matter what you think and follow.

[lmm]

> this implies people "religously" follow one of their rules while blatantly ignoring others

Is that so implausible?

[wisty]

Or women, who don't like how condoms feel. AFAIK, women are a lot more discriminating about whether or not sex feels any good.

Of course, the worst countries are probably the ones with lots of unregulated prostitution, so in those cases it's probably the men to blame.

[nl]

I agree with your point.

However, the reason that I said "men" is that most of the time women aren't the problem. There are three main scenarios where condoms are helpful to society:

1) As a form of birth control. In this case the woman may not have access to other forms, and she has to rely on the man wearing a condom. If the man doesn't like it she is often left without options (particularly in jurisdictions where - unfortunately - consent laws are different for women who are married). Even if a women doesn't like sex with a condom she usually prefers it to yet-another-baby.

2) As a protection against sexually transmitted disease. A subset of that is sexually promiscuous women who dislike condoms (and in that case you are 100% correct - a condom which feels good to women will help). However, the other case - women who are paid to have sex - is unfortunately more common, and in that case the woman often has few options if the man doesn't want to wear a condom.

3) Gay Sex. Obviously this is really a subset of (2) above, but I'm putting it separately because it's quite a large vector for sexually transmitted diseases, and increased condom use would cut it dramatically.

[stplsd]

>3) Gay Sex

It is not 1988 anymore, and it's called AIDS not GRID anymore. What else? 4) Bi sex 5) Threesome sex 6) Lesbian with strapon sex?

[chriswarbo]

> What else? 4) Bi sex

If it's two bisexual men

> 5) Threesome sex

If it's three men.

> 6) Lesbian with strapon sex?

No, because that wouldn't involve any penises.

The parent was arguing that it's more common for men to be making decisions about condom usage than women. Why would lesbians use a condom?

[DanBC]

> Why would lesbians use a condom?

It makes toy clean-up easier.

[nl]

Sorry, what is the correct term for sex between two men these days? That's the specific issue I was attempting to highlight (and I was making a distinction between that and other sex because - to generalise - the power difference between two gay men is different to between a man and a woman).

Lesbian with strapon sex? - not sure there is a huge incident of sexually transmitted disease associated with that?

[anon4]

what is the correct term for sex between two men these days

Men sex, or just mex. And if you do it with a guy from Texas, it's called texmex.

[DanBC]

> what is the correct term for sex between two men these days?

MSM - men who have sex with men.

[chii]

its more likely that the men has power over the women, especially in under-developed nations.

[rplnt]

People don't feel the need to turn to God(s) when they are doing fine. That's why the Catholic Church goes out of its way to make people miserable and afraid. They have been doing that in Europe for centuries, now Africa is the better target.

[LaGrange]

Actually, you can't really fix the 'feel' problem, because the 'feeling' is mostly imaginary. The problem with condoms is part education, part laziness and part men actually wanting women to have more kids.

[stuaxo]

I don't know, to have to pull back the foreskin and have it immobile during sex, is a pretty big difference.

[LaGrange]

You might want to consider a different brand. Never had that problem, not even heard of it, and I'm from a not-circumcised country.

[dTal]

Where did you read that? Have you ever actually used a condom?

[LaGrange]

Yes. That's how I know, but nice job of being an example.

[XorNot]

Actually I was thinking strongly about who they were, I just didn't want to name names in this forum.

But the sector they operate most flagrantly and disastrously is still Africa.

[sharkweek]

Melinda Gates herself said condoms, in their current state, don't really solve a lot of contraceptive issues in Africa in an article she wrote for Foreign Policy. But any advancement in the technology that encourages greater adoption is a net positive.

Certainly worth a read:

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/11/26/why_birth_c...