Condoms need to be available to all high school students in PSD. Students who have engaged in sexual intercourse without the use of condoms are at risk of teen pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Mrs. Devlin, the nurse here at Rocky Mountain High says, “Condoms should be available at PSD high schools but with comprehensive education.” Mrs.Devlin also says, “Condoms shouldn’t just be handed out like peppermints, but every high school student in PSD should be able to get a condom with or without the education.”

Of the 41% of US students who reported they have had sexual intercourse, many are in danger of catching an STD due to lack of condom usage. In 2016, 39% of all sexually active U.S. high school students did not use a condom during their last sexual encounter.

In addition, in 2015, a total of 229,715 babies were born to women 15–19 years old, for a birth rate of 22.3 per 1,000 women in this age group. The U.S. teen pregnancy rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations.

Now, this is where condoms come in. Providing condoms to students can alleviate sexually transmitted disease and prevent teen pregnancy. If condoms are used properly, they are 98% effective in preventing STDs and unplanned pregnancies.

As the use of condoms increases as a primary method of birth control and protection from STD’s, they need to be available to those sexually active teens in PSD high schools.