Handing out condoms while working

[Clare]

We should all post pictures of ourselves on the forum.
Ladies first...

I forsee thread derailment ahead ....

 

[ffemt8978]

We should all post pictures of ourselves on the forum.
Ladies first...

No.

 

[Achilles]

I forsee thread derailment ahead ....

I concur. However, it's pretty askew currently.

No.

It, was a joke.....

 

[Clare]

For those who want to be handing them out I am curious as to when you would be doing this, like do you think it would be the same as the pop into the fire station for a free smoke alarm sort of thing?

 

[Sandog]

The thing is with or without those condoms I was still going to have sex so all the pharmacist really did was put me and my partner at risk. I did finally buy them somewhere else just for the record.

So you hold the pharmacist accountable for the risk you chose to take? Interesting.

 

[SSwain]

Now I am not one of those pure, innocent, uber-religious, starry-eyed all is good with the world puppy dogs and love girls who thinks the world is going to cough up Mr Right and live happily ever after

Herein is the problem with society.
It can be summed up in two words.
1) Disney
2) Porn

Because of Disney, all girls think their man should be a Prince Charming.

Because of porn, all boys think their woman should be a sexually insatiable slut.

 

[akflightmedic]

I purchased a box of condoms the other day...the clerk asked me if I wanted a bag.

I said "No need, she isn't that ugly".

 

[JPINFV]

I can assure you hun that there are girls out there who are nowhere near pure nor innocent; usually they get grossly intoxicated, covered in vomit and poo and end up in hospital or getting taken advantage of in some way; financially, sexually or emotionally.

Anecdotes! We need data!

Now I am not one of those pure, innocent, uber-religious, starry-eyed all is good with the world puppy dogs and love girls who thinks the world is going to cough up Mr Right and live happily ever after but eh ... overtones of that might bear some truth

So you're not Taylor Swift?

 

[JPINFV]

Herein is the problem with society.
It can be summed up in two words.
1) Disney
2) Porn

Because of Disney, all girls think their man should be a Prince Charming.

Because of porn, all boys think their woman should be a sexually insatiable slut.

Rule 34... (Safe for work)

 

[bigbaldguy]

So you hold the pharmacist accountable for the risk you chose to take? Interesting.

Partially yes. The pharmacist is a medical professional who refused to provide a legal product to an individual that was to be used to prevent possible serious illness and possible pregnancy. I consider this no different than a doctor refusing to prescribe antibiotics to a person who has an infection because the doctor thinks the person deserves the illness. Perhaps a better example would be a medic who refuses to provide care for a drunk driver injured in an accident. As medical providers we don't get to pick and choose who we treat and who we don't.

That said yes I would have born responsibility as well.

 

[NomadicMedic]

I purchased a box of condoms the other day...the clerk asked me if I wanted a bag.

I said "No need, she isn't that ugly".

I purchased a box of condoms the other day... The clerk said, "that'll be 3.49 plus tax."

I said, "ahhh, so THAT'S how you hold them on!"

 

[bigbaldguy]

For those who want to be handing them out I am curious as to when you would be doing this, like do you think it would be the same as the pop into the fire station for a free smoke alarm sort of thing?

Good analogy and not a bad idea actually. Free smoke detectors are handed out to prevent injury and loss from fires, free condoms to prevent stds/unwanted pregnancy. It could be similar to the free needles IV drug users can get from clinics and drug stores....minus the need for trade in of course

Here's how I see it working on a call. What's one of the first questions we're supposed to ask all females of child bearing age?

Ma'am is there any chance you might be pregnant?

No

No chance at all? So you use protection every time you have sex?

Sometimes.

Why only sometimes?

I can't always afford it/don't always have it/sometimes I forget yada yada yada.

If you like I can give you a box of condoms and this information on reproductive and women's health resources in this area. It also lists locations where you can receive free condoms including many fire stations.

Obviously this wouldn't be done on urgent calls but how many times have you been talking to some young woman and thought to yourself "if you didn't have all these kids you wouldn't have all this drama."

 

[bigbaldguy]

Good analogy and not a bad idea actually. Free smoke detectors are handed out to prevent injury and loss from fires, free condoms to prevent stds/unwanted pregnancy. It could be similar to the free needles IV drug users can get from clinics and drug stores....minus the need for trade in of course

Here's how I see it working on a call. What's one of the first questions we're supposed to ask all females of child bearing age?

Ma'am is there any chance you might be pregnant?

No

No chance at all? So you use protection every time you have sex?

Sometimes.

Why only sometimes?

I can't always afford it/don't always have it/sometimes I forget yada yada yada.

If you like I can give you a box of condoms and this information on reproductive and women's health resources in this area. It also lists locations where you can receive free condoms including many fire stations.

Obviously this wouldn't be done on urgent calls but how many times have you been talking to some young woman and thought to yourself "if you didn't have all these kids you wouldn't have all this drama."

Someone just pointed out that I sound as though I'm vastly oversimplifying the cause of unwanted pregnancy, teen pregnancy, ect by saying it is lack of access to contraception. I agree 100 percent that access to contraception is only a tiny part of the overall problem but I think that it is one where EMS specifically can do some good. These underlying problems do need to be dealt with but in the meantime even minimal positive changes are still positive changes. Postponing a woman's first child from 16 years of age to 18 years of age you can mean the difference between a high school degree or dropping out. This can amount to a huge difference in the mothers quality of life. More importantly it can create a break in the cycle of poverty that many of these women fall into.