Today sex is everywhere, and with it follow methods of disease protection and birth control. Turning on the television, one can \Talk Sex"" with an old, but perky, Sue Johanson. Walk into a local store and one might find a bowl of free condoms on the counter. On the radio are depressing advertisements from girls who unwisely relied on the pull-out method.
But one place one will not hear much talk about protective sex practices, especially premarital, is at the UW Roman Catholic Foundation.
""We, following the Catholic Church, do not condone the use of condoms,"" UWRCF peer minister Molly McConnell said. ""Sex is a gift from God to be shared between a man and a woman. There should always be a chance for life to be created.""
Though McConnell admits it is probable members of the Catholic Church have premarital sex, the UWRCF and the Catholic Church do not support the use of condoms as well as most other forms of birth control. Should married couples wish to have children, the student group recommends alternative methods such as Natural Family Planning practices.
NFP procedures use menstrual cycles, body temperature and other body factors to determine times with the lowest probability of conception. Some procedures, however, have a 20 percent failure rate and do not prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections, according to the John Hopkins School of Public Health website.
Sharply contrasting the Catholic Church's viewpoint, Sex Out Loud is one of UW-Madison's most active organizations supporting the use of contraceptives. The group focuses on prevention of STIs and unwanted pregnancies.
Sex Out Loud holds classes about safer sex practices for dorms, student organizations and virtually anyone who makes a request. They distribute approximately 300 condoms per week at such events, and this past Valentine's Day they placed bowls of condoms at various local businesses with the slogan ""Here's Something to Unwrap on Valentine's Day.""
""[University Health Services] donated 500 condoms to support our Valentine's Day event,"" said Sex Out Loud member Erica Sim. ""We aren't promoting sex. We just want students to know that free condoms are available for them around campus.""
UHS, the Campus Women's Center and the LGBT Campus Center also provide condoms to students, which coincided with declining rates in reported cases of chlamydia and herpes, according to Dr. Scott Spear of UHS, who cannot recall a time when the university did not distribute free condoms.
""Our position is a public health role,"" Spear said. ""We care for the health and well-being of students, which includes the prevention of ... STIs. We think it is important to develop healthy sexual practices.""
Some who do not support the university's distribution of condoms claim costs should not be taken from student fees due to differing perspectives about contraceptive use. Despite opposing views, condoms will continue to be available to students according to Janell Wise, Student Service Finance Committee chair.
""We cannot have ideological viewpoints when making financial decisions,"" Wise said. ""We look for a need among the students and we try to fulfill that need. Most programs run out of condoms halfway through the year so we know this is a needed service.""
SSFC provides financial support to both the UWRCF and Sex Out Loud though the groups differ on issues related to sex. Wise added that ideologies are not considered when allotting money to religious groups like UWRCF just as in Sex Out Loud's financial allotment.
