| Abstract: | To challenge the distribution of condoms on school campuses with accusations of immorality and "lack of good character" appears shallow at best. Considering the home situation of many young people and their immediate environment, the act of securing a condom could be totally consistent with "good character." Certainly, abstinence up to a certain stage in a youth's life is prudent, but who is to determine the age to which, and the environment in which, abstinence must be observed universally? The litany of virtues to which Gow refers (kindness, courtesy, the Golden Rule, and so forth) all could be attributed to the youth who obtains a condom at school and uses it in an effort to protect himself and his partner. Use of a condom even by a teenager is not an unvirtuous act. Gow refers to two "misguided assumptions." The first is that "it is the legitimate function of the schools to dispense contraceptives." He maintains that parents and physicians, not schools, constitute the proper source of medical information and medication. Granted, they are the most logical and desirable sources, but what if a student has incompetent or perhaps no parental guidance and has little if any access to a physician? Schools have acted in loco parentis ever since public education first evolved. Why should it stop now during a devastating health crisis? The second "misguided assumption"--that "teen sex and pregnancies result from ignorance"--happens to be true. Ignorance is a major cause of pregnancies and AIDS. Distribution of condoms on campuses will help to counteract ignorance because it leads to explanations and discussion, two essential components of education. I find no quarrel with Gow's call for reevaluation of values and methods of communication. His belief that institutions such as churches, families, social organizations, and so forth must assume a larger role in clarification of values is logical. But until that occurs, what institution other than a public school has a better chance to reach the greatest number of young people? |
