BOSTON - One Condoms has issued a bold challenge to presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain to support condom use and to include support for comprehensive sex education programs in their campaign platforms. This challenge comes as a response to a recent report by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) regarding a sharp increase in HIV infection rates in the United States.
"In 1987, C. Everett Koop stated that ‘a condom can save your life.' Politics and policies may change, but that reality hasn't. Comprehensive education, which includes accurate information about consistent and correct condom use, is essential to preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS," One Condoms spokesperson Jared Fennelly said.
On Thursday, August 14, One will send 56,300 condoms to the campaign headquarters for each candidate. That is, One is sending one condom for every person the CDC estimates will become infected with HIV/AIDS this year. In personalized letters to Senators Obama and McCain, One encourages each candidate to donate the condoms to U.S. nonprofits or health centers and to support comprehensive sex ed as part of their campaigns.
"The current administration's policies regarding sexual health education have fractured efforts to provide a cohesive, structured and successful HIV/AIDS prevention program. Promoting abstinence at the expense of condom use has forced many state governments and nonprofit organizations to go it alone when it comes to combating sexually-transmitted diseases," Fennelly said.
"America needs a leader who will bring all parties to the table and put forth a plan to create a national dialog regarding HIV/AIDS. We want to hear from both candidates whether condoms will have a fair place in that discussion," he concluded.
