One of the larger dynamics in this country is the one that occurs when a group of people don’t like something for one reason, and say it is for another reason- and controversies like those surrounding Plan B and HPV vaccines are a great illustration of this.

Earlier this week, it became big news when it was revealed that a Pennsylvania university had installed a vending machine to dispense the high-dose birth control pill Plan B. I will say for the record now that I believe that in the history of marketing, the selection of the name “Plan B” is pretty woeful- it seems to cast an pall of irresponsibility over the name of the ill-understood product. (While many believe Plan B is an abortion-inducing medication, it is in fact just a high-dose version of the Pill, and does nothing more than the Pill itself can do.)

And though the birth control pill itself is not available over the counter, Plan B often is, depending on your area and the religious views of your pharmacist. Often cloaked in the guise of concern for the health of women, people get upset that the ubiquity of Plan B allows women to have “consequence free sex” by covering failures in birth control. Naturally, when Plan B appeared in a vending machine for $25 at the college in Pennsylvania, it was pretty controversial.

Following the media blitz, it was revealed that the Food Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating the situation, and in a statement, they said they are “working to gather the facts now, including contacting Pennsylvania state authorities and the university.” Do you think Plan B in a vending machine is irresponsible?

Plan B in Vending Machine Prompts FDA Investigation is a post from: The Inquisitr

Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania has a new vending machine on campus.  It dispenses condoms, pregnancy tests and Plan B morning after pills.  The machines were installed in the Etter Health Center on campus after a survey of students found that 85% of them supported putting in the machines.

Peter Gigliotti, the university’s executive director for communications and marketing told Fox News,

“We value student input on matters that directly pertain to their health and safety so these results were an important part of the decision-making process. We are not the first one to make this available so this is not unique to us or to public higher education. This decision was also made in consultation with our medical staff.”

Plan B is available without a prescription to anyone 17 or older anywhere in the United States.  Gigliotti says that all of the University’s student fit that criteria.  He also said the machine is in a private room in the University’s health center and can only be accessed by current students.

“Any student who wants to discuss Plan B may do so at any time. In addition, medical information is provided with the Plan B for purchasers to read before its use.”

Father David Hillier, pastor of Our Lady of the Visitation Roman Catholic Church and Shippensburg’s campus minister, is vehemently opposed to making the contraceptive available on the campus.  He told Fox News,

“We have and will continue to work to see the decision of this state university reconsidered and overturned,”

While it is presented that 85% of students support the vending machines, the number may actually be higher because even more students support making the pill available just maybe not in the specific venue it is currently available in.

Do you think that the University should be allowing students to buy contraception in a vending machine?

Watch an amateur newscaster discuss the issue!

Pennsylvania University Puts “Plan B” In A Vending Machine [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Pornographers shooting movies in Los Angeles are now required by law to have all male performers wear condoms during filming.

City Council members voted 9-1 to approve the ordinance which will go into effect 90 days from Tuesday. Under the cities plans a film permit fee will then be used to fund surprise inspections on porn shoots to ensure compliance.

While California occupational health authorities have had a similar rule in effect for some time it has never been fully enforced.

Speaking to Reuters the chief of a porn industry trade group complained:

“Clearly, this is about the government overreaching and intruding into consenting adults’ decisions.” That Chief adds, “They are taking something they know nothing about and imposing their morality on our industry.”

In the meantime the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has applauded the measure which it fought to have enacted into law for years. The agency believes that changes will be made since receiving porn permits in other towns outside of California have been hard to come by. Even in parts of Las Vegas where prostitution has been legalized the use of condoms is a requirement for sex workers.

The Aids organization promises to “follow them wherever they go” in referring to the pornographers who may flee Los Angeles and head for no condom required areas throughout the United States, that is if other cities will have them.

Do you believe that the Los Angeles city council has overstepped its bounds in forcing pornographers to make performers wear condoms while filming?

Los Angeles Passes Porn Condoms Act After Years Of Debate is a post from: The Inquisitr

Once you make it, a relatively terrifying connection about the name of Trojan Condoms pointed out by an astute Facebook user.

Trojan Condoms… Wait, What? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Reportedly brilliant product positioning by Costco- just outside the frame, chafe cream and kneeling pads.

[via]

Contextual Advertising, Condoms Edition is a post from: The Inquisitr

via AllThingsD

Google Wallet might be cool but please people – think of the condoms is a post from: The Inquisitr

Walgreens knows what you’re up to, you dirty bastard.

[reddit]

Visual merchandising, simplified is a post from: The Inquisitr

Marketing… is a post from: The Inquisitr

The family of a four-year-old boy who is said to have put a discarded, dirty condom overlooked by hotel maids in his mouth at an Atlanta hotel in August reportedly contracted oral Herpes from the incident.

As expected, the child supposedly believed the prophylactic was a balloon and tried to blow it up before his horrified grandmother stopped him:

“I ran out the bathroom and my grandson had a condom in his mouth. His tongue was in the condom and he was trying to blow it up,” said (grandmother Carmen) Jones.

In the piece, the boy’s grandmother, who he apparently calls “mommy,” says the incident has been very upsetting to the child and his family:

“When the cold sores were active, he wanted to give me a kiss, especially in the hospital. I said, ‘no sweetie — you know — not in the mouth, you can’t kiss mommy.’ He said, ‘mommy you don’t love me anymore?’ And so, it was very, very — very hurtful,” said Jones.

It is unclear how doctors know the strain of herpes the boy is said to have was definitively contracted during the incident at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in August.

[via]

4-year-old reportedly tests positive for Herpes after finding used condom in hotel is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you liked the last batch of funny condom ads posted here this one should tickle your funny bone even more. Well maybe it’ll tickle something.

7 More great condom ads is a post from: The Inquisitr

Safe sex folks is a matter of life and death. After all who knows what you might pick up in your travels in the seamier side of life eh.

That doesn’t mean that you have to use the same boring condoms now does it.

Condoms: Who knew they could be so much fun is a post from: The Inquisitr

This is probably a burning question in someone’s mind out there (what a scary thought) but here for you on this Saturday I bring to you

Water Filled Condom in the Face – Backward – in S l o w  M o t i o n

Ever wondered what a water filled condom in the face looks like? is a post from: The Inquisitr

You can’t see this taking off in the United States: a Swiss company has started producing x-small condoms for 12-14 year old boys.

The “Hotshot” condom was developed after the Swiss Government found that 12-14 year old boys did not use condoms when having sex.

The Daily Contributor reports that the company has said that the United Kingdom would be “top priority” if they expand abroad, since it suffers from the highest rate of underage conception in Europe.

You can just see the Christian Right going nuts at this. Note we’re not condoning underage sex, but denying it happens doesn’t solve issues such as STD transmission and teen pregnancy.

Swiss Company Now Selling X-Small Condoms For 12-14 Year Olds is a post from: The Inquisitr

And, uh… it’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye?

[Via Motivated Photos]

Common sense condom warning is a post from: The Inquisitr

Remember the tampon infused steak from last week?

This week, a dude in California is claiming he found a used condom melted into the cheese of his French Onion soup at an Easter brunch in April. Why can’t it ever be like a bobby pin or a watch gear or something that hasn’t been in or on someone’s cash and prizes? This time, the man was dining with his wife and daughter and thought he’d ingested a hardened piece of cheese (Ew. Ew, ew ew.) and tried to fish it out of his mouth and oh my God it’s a condom on Jesus’ other birthday what the hell is wrong with people?

Suspiciously, though, the dude refused to allow the restaurant to inspect the used condom, saving it for legal-licious purposes later. Preliminary tests revealed female DNA on the condom and female employees voluntarily submitted to testing to exclude themselves from suspicion of adulterating the soup. In a statement, the restaurant dismissed the claims as baseless and basically called bullshit on the whole incident:

We have found no evidence to support any of the allegations in a complaint filed by Mr. Zednek Philip Hodousek against Claim Jumper on July 21, 2009.

When Mr. Hodousek said he found a foreign object in his food on April 12, 2009, he took it with him when he left the restaurant. We take customer complaints very seriously and immediately began an investigation.

We interviewed our employees at the restaurant and found no evidence of wrongdoing. Due to the seriousness of Mr. Hodousek’s allegation, we then retained an independent investigator. The investigator completed his investigation on April 23, 2009. The investigator also concluded that there was no wrongdoing by any employee.

In an effort to complete our investigation, we contacted Mr. Hodousek and his attorney numerous times over the next six weeks to request that the object be sent to an independent laboratory for testing.

Seven weeks later, on June 1, 2009, the object was finally forwarded to an independent lab. Because Mr. Hodousek took the object with him on April 12, we could not establish that this was the same object the lab received.

In addition, Mr. Hodousek asked us to conduct DNA testing of female employees at the restaurant to determine if there could be a match to any DNA that might be found on the object.

While we are mindful of our employees’ privacy rights, we asked our female employees to voluntarily comply with Mr. Hodousek’s request and they have done so.

To ensure a thorough assessment, we asked Mr. Hodousek to take a DNA test. Mr. Hodousek failed to appear for his appointment on July 20, 2009. Mr. Hodousek’s attorney filed the lawsuit against us on July 21.

We thoroughly investigated Mr. Hodousek’s claim. We do not believe Mr. Hodousek’s lawsuit has any merit and will fight this allegation.

[Source: Local News]

Man sues after finding condom in his soup is a post from: The Inquisitr

Women’s dresses get made out of all kinds of materials but this version of women’s wear is definitely not your average material … errr … latex. However the idea of going out to dinner or the opera along side a woman wearing a dress made from condoms would definitely make one think twice I think. Not to mention having to survive through the parade of jokes you would have to endure.

It would seem though that there just might be a market for them given the wide range of styles being modeled I’m just not sure would would have the courage to order one let alone be seen with a woman wearing one.

hat tip to Inhabitat

Would you like that dress ribbed or smooth? is a post from: The Inquisitr

The US Government is funding a study that seeks to find out why men don’t like wearing condoms.

The $423,500 investment by the Government will ponder why “young, heterosexual adult men” have problems using condoms, and will consider “skill-based intervention” to teach grown men how to use a condom properly

“The project aims to understand the relationship between condom application and loss of erections and decreased sensation, including the role of condom skills and performance anxiety, and to find new ways to improve condom use among those who experience such problems” Drs. Erick Janssen and Stephanie Sanders told Fox News.

Not surprisingly Government waste watch groups aren’t very excited by the study.

Great moments in science: study to ask why men don’t like to wear condoms is a post from: The Inquisitr

Organizers have been upping the number of rubbers every year since they started offering them to athletes back in ’92. Apparently, they severely underestimated the athletes’ abilities in 2000: The original supply of 70,000 ran out in no time and cartons of extras had to be rushed in.

This year, it’s not just your average Trojanman making the rounds, either. All sorts of varieties are floating around, including some condoms with the Olympics mascots printed right on them. Here’s where it gets good. The 2008 Olympics mascots are Beibei the fish, Jingjing the panda, Huanhuan the Olympic flame, Yingying the Tibetan antelope, and — I kid you not — Nini the swallow.

One guess which design is the most popular.

Now, THAT’S a Lot of Condoms is a post from: The Inquisitr