How fitting: Clinton honored with Chinese condoms

Compiled by Tribune-Review staff
Sunday, September 25, 2005

A Chinese company is honoring ex-president Bill Clinton by naming a new line of condoms after him -- along with a companion line of condoms that will be named after his ex-girl-toy, Monica Lewinsky.

According to the NewsMax Internet site, Britain's Sky News reported last week that the Guangzhou Haokian Bio-science company has registered their names as trademarks for the contraceptives.

The condoms will display Chinese spellings: Kelitun and Laiwensiji.

A 12-pack of Clintons is expected to cost $5, with Lewinsky's selling at a discounted price of just over $3.

The manufacturer's general manager, Liu Wenhua, told Sky News that naming the condoms for Clinton was perfectly legal, explaining that "trademarks of two foreign surnames can't be seen as a violation of rights."

Clinton is the only U.S. president to be honored with his own condom brand line.

New York Sen. Hillary Clinton was unavailable to comment on her husband's latest achievement.

Birds, Bees and Condoms

Thursday, September 22, 2005 - Bangor Daily News

Maine is right to reject federal funding that requires the state to focus solely on abstinence-only programs rather than offering comprehensive sex education, including abstinence. There is no evidence that programs that tell children to wait until marriage to have sex actually work. Worse, there is evidence that teenagers who participate in the abstinence-only programs are engaging in risky sexual behavior, increasing their chances of contracting diseases or becoming pregnant.

Earlier this week, the Bureau of Health announced that it did not apply for $165,000 in federal sex education funds for the current year and would forgo $161,000 that becomes available Oct. 1. Maine has accepted such funds since 1998, using them to run ads like the "not me, not now" campaign. However, federal guidelines on the use of the funds have become more stringent and would require the state to emphasize all eight of the program's ideological tenets, such as that faithful, monogamous relationships within the context of marriage are the standard of human sexual activity and that having sex outside marriage is likely to have harmful psychological effects.

California and Pennsylvania are the only other states that have opted out of the federal program. Arizona this month took a more questionable approach using state lottery and tobacco money to begin running television ads encouraging teenagers who are sexually active to use birth control.

The switch came too late for Myra Mendoza, a 17-year-old from Tempe, Ariz., who is due to have a baby in October. "All they tell you in school is 'Don't have sex,'" she said in a recent newspaper interview. "But it's like, kids are going to do it. Most people I know do have sex. They just don't have condoms available, so they end up pregnant or with STDs."

Sadly, Ms. Mendoza's observations are correct. According to a study released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a quarter of

15-year-olds have had sexual intercourse. The percentage steadily increases and, at age 18, 62 percent of boys and 70 percent of girls have had sex. The percentages who have had oral sex are higher. Half of sexually transmitted

disease cases are in people under 24.

A study published several years ago in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that kids exposed to contraception education were not more likely to have sex than those in abstinence-only programs but they were two-thirds less likely to have unprotected sex.

Although a 1999 study found that 98 percent of parents thought their teenagers are virgins, the CDC numbers show that teenagers are having sex. The question then becomes what is the best way to ensure that they protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. The answer, clearly, is condoms and other forms of birth control.

U.S. halts imports of Ansell Condoms (LifeStyles)

September 21, 2005 - U.S. halts imports of Ansell condoms

The Food and Drug Administration is halting all imports of Ansell-brand condoms made at the company?s Thailand manufacturing plant after two lots of condoms failed to meet FDA safety standards, the Australian Associated Press reports. The brands of condoms affected include LifeStyles, Mates, Manix, and Kama Sutra. The condoms will continue to be banned from the U.S. market until 10 successive shipments from the Thailand plant pass FDA testing. (Advocate.com)

FDA Halts Import of Ansell Condoms After Failed Safety Test

Daily Reproductive Health Report

Contraception & Family Planning | FDA Halts Import of Ansell Condoms After Failed Safety Test
[Sep 20, 2005]

FDA on Friday barred the import of condoms made in Ansell's Surat Thani facility in Thailand after the product failed to meet the agency's safety standards, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. FDA placed Ansell's condoms on Level 2 restrictions -- meaning the condoms will have to pass agency tests in at least 10 successive shipments before the restriction is removed -- after an undisclosed failure during the testing of two shipments. If any future shipments do not meet agency standards, the company will be required to recertify the facility (Freed, Sydney Morning Herald, 9/17). "It's a concern for the company, and they are working with the FDA to work through the problems as quickly as possible," an unnamed Ansell spokesperson said (Leyden, Herald Sun, 9/17). Ansell -- which produces the condom brand names LifeStyles, Mates and Kama Sutra -- is the third-largest condom seller in the world, and the U.S. is its largest market for the products (Sydney Morning Herald, 9/17).

Ansell fails quality test; US bars its condoms

Ansell fails quality test; US bars its condoms
September 17, 2005

Ansell was barred from exporting condoms from its Thailand plant to the United States on Friday after the products failed to meet rigorous safety standards during a random inspection.

The company subjects its condoms to internal water and electronic tests to ensure their quality, but the US Food & Drug Administration's even stricter examination revealed flaws.

The FDA has not yet told Ansell why the two lots of condoms tested failed to meet its guidelines.

The condoms, from Ansell's Surat Thani facility, have been placed on what is known as "Level 2 detention" and cannot be sent to the US.

For the restriction to be removed, at least 10 successive shipments will have to pass FDA tests.

If any of these shipments do not meet FDA standards, the detention will be raised to Level 3 and the plant will need to be recertified.

In that case, Ansell said it would have to supply the US consumer market with alternative products, affecting about 5 per cent of the company's total sales.

Last month, Ansell reported total sales of $824 million, up from $791 million the previous year.

In addition to condoms, Ansell sells other "barrier protection devices" such as latex gloves, rubber gloves and rainwear.

The US is Ansell's biggest market for its condoms, which are sold under brand names such as LifeStyles, Mates and Kama Sutra and come in many varieties such as "lasting pleasure", "good lovin' " and "warming".

The company sells other products, such as lubricant, under the well-known LifeStyle brand name and controls 11 per cent of the world condom market, making it the third-biggest seller of condoms.

An Ansell representative would not say which brand of condoms had been affected by the FDA restrictions.

Ansell was emphatic that the two shipments that missed FDA targets would not be sold in other markets such as Australia, Europe or developing countries, even if they met local standards.

This is not the first time Ansell has failed to meet FDA standards.

In October 2002, rubber gloves from one of its factories in Malaysia were placed under a detention order that was lifted in early 2003.

But as Ansell noted on Friday, FDA scrutiny is not unusual in the condom business.

Two of its competitors have had recent shipments placed under Level 1 detention.

Ansell said it made about 140 shipments to the US last year without incident.

Shares in the company had risen to $10.98 before news of the FDA restriction was released on Friday but fell to close 7c lower at $10.83.

Using Condoms Correctly

by Laura Lambert - Planned Parenthood
09.12.05

Used correctly and consistently ? every single time a person has sex ? condoms are up to 98 percent effective against pregnancy. They also reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections. But a recent study in the American Journal of Health Behavior found that many people who know that they should use condoms don't always use condoms correctly.

Of more than 1,100 people surveyed about their recent condom use
* More than half had not used a condom the last time they had sex. Condoms are only effective when they are used every time a person has sex.
* Forty percent of women and men did not pinch air out of the tip of the condom before using it. Friction against air bubbles causes most condom breaks.
* Roughly one-third of women and men did not hold the base of the condom when withdrawing the penis. This is a common reason behind spillage.
* More than 30 percent of women and 40 percent of men did not leave space at the tip of the condom.


Many people also admitted that they started having intercourse before using a condom, and to putting the condom on inside-out ? both of which make a condom less effective.

What You Can Do

Condoms can break for various reasons. Most often they break if they are not put on properly, if they have passed their expiration date, or if the wrong kind of lubricant is used with them. (Using any oil-based lubricant with a latex condom can cause breakage.)

The following tips can help people know how to use condoms correctly:

* Put the condom on before inserting the penis.
* Use a condom only once, and use a new one for each erection. Always make sure you have several condoms on hand.
* Be careful when taking the condom out of its package foil. You don't want to tear it. If the condom is not lubricated, put a drop or two of water-based lubricant inside of it.
* If the penis is not circumcised, pull back the foreskin before rolling on the condom.
* Place the rolled condom over the tip of the erect penis. (If keeping an erection is an issue, you may want to try female condoms, which stay in place whether or not a man maintains his erection.)
* Leave a half-inch space at the tip to collect semen.
* Pinch the air out of the tip with one hand.
* Unroll the condom over the penis with the other hand.
* Roll it all the way down to the base of the penis.
* Smooth out any air bubbles.
* If the condom is not lubricated, put a water-based lubricant on the outside of the condom.
* After ejaculation, it's important to pull out before the penis softens. Don't spill the semen ? hold the condom against the base of the penis while you pull out.
* Throw the condom away ? do not flush.


Laura Lambert is a writer and editor for PPFA, based in New York City.
© 2005 Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

Many Male Teens Fatalistic About Unplanned Pregnancy

TUESDAY Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Most sexually active male American teens say they have no intention of getting a girl pregnant, but more than half also believe it is likely that they will do so within the next six months, a new study finds.

This fatalistic attitude "highlights the need to have a larger conversation about pregnancy, condom use, and what the barriers to condom use might be among male adolescents," said lead researcher Cynthia Rosengard, an assistant professor of medicine at Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, R.I. "We need to help them, so that their actions fall more in line with their plans."

According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit group focusing on reproductive health issues, by the time American teens reach age 17 most have already experienced intercourse. Institute data suggest that most young people start engaging in sexual relations at some point in their mid-to-late teens.

The institute also notes that although teen pregnancy rates dropped significantly in the 1990s, they remain much higher than those in other developed countries -- twice as high as in either Canada or England, and nine times higher than either the Netherlands or Japan. Nearly 80 percent of all teen pregnancies are unplanned -- accounting for an estimated 25 percent of all accidental pregnancies in the United States, according to the institute.

Reporting in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics, the study authors reviewed data from interviews with 101 sexually active teen males attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic in northern California between 1996 and 1998. The boys, aged 14 to 19, were questioned regarding their sexual attitudes and behaviors.

Forty-three percent of those interviewed were black, with white teens and Hispanics comprising another 15 percent each. About 11 percent of the teens were Asian.

While more than 75 percent of the male teens said they had no plans to get anyone pregnant over the next six months, more than 56 percent said there was nonetheless some likelihood they would do so whether or not this was their intention, the researchers report.

Almost 25 percent said they were both planning and likely to get someone pregnant, while 33 percent said the likelihood existed despite their lack of intention. Almost 43 percent said they neither planned nor thought it likely they would get someone pregnant.

Teens who thought they might get a partner pregnant in the near future also admitted to being less able to use condoms in "challenging situations." They also expressed less intention to use condoms in the future, compared with boys who believed they would not impregnate a girl.

Teens who actively planned on impregnating -- or thought they might do so accidentally -- tended to be less negative about pregnancy in general, and came from families with relatively less-educated mothers, the researchers added. Teen boys actively planning pregnancy also tended to subscribe to the notion that condom use undermined trust in a relationship.

The findings highlight the need to take young male viewpoints into account when tackling the issue of unplanned pregnancy, Rosengard said.

"Males inform how often intercourse takes place and whether or not condoms are used," said Rosengard. "Males can influence how the female feels about pregnancy, whether or not she'll have an abortion, and how the baby will be raised once it's born. And yet our work is one of the first of its kind because we focus on males, while most adolescent pregnancy work has focused only on females and their attitudes on pregnancy."

"The problem is that most male adolescents don't have discussions about reproductive health-care issues when they go to access health services," said Rosengard, who is also a researcher in internal medicine at Rhode Island Hospital. "So medical health-care professionals should be aware that that's something they should be talking about with their male patients -- not just their female patients."

David Landry, a senior research associate at the Alan Guttmacher Institute, agreed. He believes health-care professionals need to devote more time to frank discussions of reproductive issues with young males, instead of just handling crises as they arise.

"It's important that teens -- both male and female -- are empowered to feel that they have the right to discuss these issues with their doctor," he said. "And also -- in the U.S. as compared with many countries in Western Europe -- we struggle as a society with how to deal with issues of sexuality. So there's the issue of adults largely putting up barriers to discussions about sex."

But Landry said male teens face additional gender-specific obstacles.

"It's very apparent that health providers do not discuss the use of contraception with male adolescents too often," he noted. "In part I think this is due to the advances in contraception decades back, which gave females so much control over their own reproduction that the medical field and public health officials overstated the role of females and understated the role of males in pregnancy and STD prevention."

Nadine Kaslow, a professor and chief psychologist at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, believes "it's really important that health-care providers discuss reproductive issues equally with male and female patients. It takes two to tango, and doctors definitely have a responsibility to bring up the issue -- to discuss condom use."

But Kaslow stressed that communication with male teens about reproductive health needs to be broadly based, including parents and teachers as well.

"Teachers and other community leaders can help with all this," she said. "And it's also important that parents do this. It's a family responsibility. Of course, a lot of families don't believe in pre-marital sex, and so even though they may know or fear their son is having sex, they think if they don't talk to him about it, it will go away. So parents need to think about their own value systems and what the reality is."

Catering to stars at VMA awards

Celebrities are notorious for demanding perks backstage -- and Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards in Miami were no exception.

Rapper 50 Cent's reps asked for two boxes of condoms, reports the New York Daily News, as well as the obligatory bottles of Cristal. When it came to food, however, his tastes were simpler: chicken from KFC and Boston Market, and mac and cheese.

Fiddy had a kosher request, as well. ''There is to be no pork in the food or in the vicinity of 50 Cent's dressing room,'' said his demands.

Red Bull was the energy drink of choice for Green Day and Coldplay, along with plenty of booze. Green Day wanted a fifth of silver tequila, a fifth of whiskey (Jameson or Bushmill's), a fifth of vodka (Grey Goose, Vox or Belvedere) and four bottles of wine.

Coldplay wanted vodka and wine, plus no fewer than 48 bottles of lager -- specifically demanding that no American beers be included. The band's menu was healthier, with organic soup and free-range chicken on the table.

Kanye West may have a big ego, but he made few demands: He just wanted water, salad and Pepsi.