The Cyclical History Of The Condom
I was mooching around the Web and thought I’d look into the history of the condom. Nothing too deep just a quick skim of the top few search results.
I term the history of the prophylactic as cyclical because it was initially meant to protect the wearer from disease. Later it became a barrier against infection and a means of birth control. And in latter years with the increase in the diversity of contraceptive methods and the spread of HIV/AIDS it has returned primarily for many people to its prophylactic role.
With the advent of HIV/AIDS in particular and a steady increase in other STIs the condom should be more widely used than ever. However objections to condoms on religious or moral grounds is preventing this. The Comstock Law of 1873 typifies the stupidity of this attitude to condoms. In a life filled with dictatorial moralising the law is the summit of brainless conservatism.
Attempting to prevent the use of condoms to stop people from having what some might consider “the wrong kind of sex” is never going to work. If someone is going have sex not being protected means they’ll simply be at higher risk of disease or unwanted pregnancy.
No not an in-depth look at condoms and their history, there’s plenty of material on that subject on the Web. Just a few random thoughts …
Tags: history of the condom, Anthony Comstock, Comstock law, contraception HIV, AIDS, STI