Condom-Hating Health Official Steps Down

Rule change eliminates discounts at college health centers

(NEWSER) - Female students at US colleges may be cutting back on reliable contraceptives because a quirk in a federal law has made birth-control pills up to four times more expensive, health officials warn. A recent change in Medicaid regulations means drug companies no longer offer big discounts to health centers where students and low-income women obtain the pills, the New York Times reports. More»

54% of all voters think Planned Parenthood trustworthy; 24% think same of Palin

(NEWSER) - Most American voters—particularly women—don’t trust Sarah Palin on women’s health issues like abortion, sex ed, and birth control, a Planned Parenthood poll finds. While 54% of voters consider Planned Parenthood trustworthy on women’s health, only 24% find Palin trustworthy on the matter. The numbers inch up when just women voters are considered: 58% trust the family-planning organization; 22% trust the ex-governor, Politico reports. The organization polled 802 voters split evenly across party lines early last month. More»

(NEWSER) - Judging by the average convenience store condom selection, men with small penises do not exist. Selling small condoms is difficult for marketers, so most brands have opted not to bother, writes Menachem Kaiser of the Atlantic . LifeStyles’ “Snugger Fit” designation is about as straightforward as it gets. Durex has a complicated sizing chart, and Trojan has a Starbucks-like sizing system; its condoms come in Regular, Large, and Extra Large. More»

In China, sexual freedom not accompanied by information

(NEWSER) - The liberalization of Chinese attitudes toward sex, despite the near-absence of sex education, has led to a sort of bedroom farce that would be hilarious if it didn’t result in at least 13 million abortions a year. College students in particular feel comfortable having sex; now, if only someone had taught them how to put on a condom. “People born in the 1980s and '90s are most in danger,” one tells Michelle Tsai. "We're liberal, but we didn't have any sex education." More»

Cites particular concern in poor and minority areas

(NEWSER) - A labor coalition is sponsoring a petition calling on CVS to stop locking up condoms, the Kansas City Star reports. More than 200 groups across the country have signed the appeal to stop the practice, which the mega-chain says is an anti-shoplifting measure but critics say scares off would-be shoppers. The policy is a particular problem in areas with large poor and minority populations, notes a signer, because of African-American communities’ high rate of new HIV cases. More»