Condom Company Confronts Presidential Contenders
By Tod Hunter
Friday, August 15, 2008
Condom manufacturer One Condoms sent more than 50,000 condoms to John McCain and Barack Obama in response to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control predicting a sharp increase in HIV infection rates in the U.S. The company sent 56,300 condoms — one for each person estimated by the CDC to become infected with HIV/AIDS this year — to Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.
The condoms were accompanied by personalized letters to Senators Obama and McCain that encouraged them to donate the condoms to nonprofits or health centers in the U.S. The letters also encouraged support for comprehensive education programs into their campaign platforms.
“Both have spoken to or referenced the term comprehensive, but haven’t said what that means,” One Condoms spokesman Jared Fennelly told XFANZ. “We want them to say condoms will be given time equal to abstinence education, in terms of giving people all the tools and all the ways to protect themselves.”
According to Fennelly, the Boston-based company works with close to 3,500 nonprofit organizations and many have lost federal funding for their programs under the Bush administration because the organizations promote condom use. Additionally, 17 states, from California to Wyoming, have rejected federal funding because of the abstinence only provisions.
“The current administration’s policies regarding sexual health education have fractured efforts to provide a cohesive, structured and successful HIV/AIDS prevention program,” Fennelly said. “America needs a leader who will bring all parties to the table and put forth a plan to create a national dialog regarding HIV/AIDS. We want to hear from both candidates whether condoms will have a fair place in that discussion.”
The condoms have now been received, and while Fennelly isn’t holding his breath for the candidates to send them to nonprofits and health centers, he said he is optimistic about the response so far.
“I certainly hope that they both do,” Fennelly said. “But it’s encouraging that neither of them have refused the shipment.”
For more information about the Presidential Condom Challenge, visit the One Condoms website.
