Imagine if every man, woman and child in Canada were dead. The worldwide death toll of AIDS is nearing such a proportion. It is an international crisis that must be taken seriously, and an active effort to prevent the spread of HIV is of paramount importance. Research agrees that condom usage is the number one defense against HIV/AIDS for sexually active people.

As a Jesuit University, Fairfield opts not to aid its students in having safe sex. Condoms are not made available anywhere on campus, not in the dorms, not at the health center and not in the bookstore.

The bookstore is more than a book vendor; for many it is a convenience store. Cough drops, toothpaste and tampons are among the inventory, all the basic necessities. Except for condoms. “As a vendor you have to integrate into the culture,” said store manager Barbara Farrell.

The culture the Catholic Church likes to trumpet is one of abstinence among unmarried young adults. However, sexual relations are often a fact of life for college students.

Sex happens. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to sexual and reproductive health research, 77 percent of women and 85 percent of men report having had sex by the age of 19.

Also, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a female teenager who is sexually active has a 90 percent chance of becoming pregnant in one year without the use of birth control.

WebMD.com notes that male condoms, if used properly, are 97 percent effective at preventing the spread of HIV. But they can only be effective if they are available, and for students at Fairfield University, sadly they are not.

Years ago, the bookstore pulled cigarettes due to public pressure over health effects. Yet, the store will not stock condoms-a product which promotes safe sex and has proven highly effective at stopping sexually transmitted diseases.

World AIDS day was observed globally and locally this Monday. According to the Center for Disease Control there are 40,000 new HIV infections occurring in the U.S. each year while nearly a half million people have already died.

Condoms are one of the best and most widely accepted defenses against sexually transmitted diseases, and it is time that Fairfield embraced the idea of safe sex and stocked condoms. By not doing so, they are sending a negative signal and restricting our choices as consenting adults.

Unfortunately though, it does not look like the Catholic Church nor this university is going to acknowledge the necessity of condoms anytime soon. Therefore we ask everyone to be safe and be smart. Sex can be wonderful thing betweeen two consenting adults who take the appropriate precautions.

Wear a condom. Safety should never be controversial.

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