Milwaukee To Offer Condom Distribution In High Schools

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The Milwaukee School Board voted 7-0 Thursday to launch a program that will make condoms available to students at many of the district's high schools, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The move would make Milwaukee one of the few districts in the nation to provide students with contraception, according to the Journal Sentinel. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show that 4.5% of high schools make condoms available to students, school district officials said.

The condoms would be provided at no cost to students in schools with school nurses after students request the condoms at the nurse's office, according to a fact sheet provided by the district. The condoms will not be bought with taxpayer money, and the district is searching for other means of funding the program.

The program could be in place as soon as the 2010-2011 school year. In proposing the program, the school district cited data indicating that 63% of the district's students are sexually active and that nearly one-third of those students reported not using a condom the last time they had sex. Officials also noted Milwaukee has a high rate of teen pregnancy and some sexually transmitted infections compared with other cities. Research shows that having condoms available makes students more likely to use them but does not increase the chances that they will engage in sexual activity, according to district officials (Kertscher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12/17).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

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