Philadelphia high schools welcome students back with free condoms!

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (PNN) - December 25, 2012 - The Philadelphia Health Department will install clear plastic dispensers brimming with free condoms at 22 of Philadelphia’s public high schools over winter break.

The schools chosen for the pilot program have the highest rates of students infected with sexually transmitted diseases in the city, according to Philly.com. All students - even those as young as 14 - will be eligible to score free condoms unless their parents sign a form prohibiting them from participating.

The primary issue pig thug city officials hope to address with the pilot program is not teen pregnancy, but the growing prevalence of sexually transmitted disease among adolescents.

Teens currently account for a quarter of new HIV infections and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the City of Brotherly Love.

“I support the policy strongly,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “This is a serious public health matter.”

“Many of our teenagers, regardless of what adults think, are engaged in sexual activities,” Nutter added. “Discussion about whether or not they should be sexually active is an appropriate discussion, but if they are, then we need to make sure they’re engaged in safe sexual practices.”

“If a teenager wants to use a condom, (he) should have access to a condom,” summarized Donald F. Schwarz, the deputy mayor for health and opportunity.

Schwarz also noted that he is aware of the possibility that the schools could “have hundreds of condoms taken and used inappropriately, for water balloons or something like that.”