Age Limit for Condom Purchases?

What if a minor wanted to purchase condoms and wasn't allowed to do so by the store clerk? Is he or she in the right to deny this person of a condom, despite the risk this individual will commit sex regardless and may contract or pass a STD?

Personally, I think the condom should still have been sold to the minor, to prevent a possible STD from being spread from on partner to another and possibly ruining the lives of both individuals... it would prevent a huge risk.

I know that in some locations around my city, or among certain clerks they'll let you purchase a condom even if you're obviously 13 or 15, but others won't.

This is my first time actually making a thread in this board, so I'll apoligize ahead of time if I made a mistake. Although I think everything I have done here is perfectly legal.

I would personally find it to be a bad thing to allow the sale of condoms to underage kids, it seems to me that it would only becken kids to have sex. Having condoms being easily accessible to minors could increase the rate that sex would occer and thus may actually help spread some STD's. Mind that condoms don't stop every STD out there...

So, in all I wouldn't like condoms to be a free market to the youths. I rather have them try to find their own condoms and they might fail. Thus causing no STD to spead, due to them not engaging in a sexual activity. It would be stupid for them to engage in the activity, but it happens...

Originally Posted by ProtoLink

I would personally find it to be a bad thing to allow the sale of condoms to underage kids, it seems to me that it would only becken kids to have sex. Having condoms being easily accessible to minors could increase the rate that sex would occer and thus may actually help spread some STD's. Mind that condoms don't stop every STD out there...

So, in all I wouldn't like condoms to be a free market to the youths. I rather have them try to find their own condoms and they might fail. Thus causing no STD to spead, due to them not engaging in a sexual activity. It would be stupid for them to engage in the activity, but it happens...

You have a point and I understand where you are coming from, if every single child practiced and believed in the rule of never having sex without a condom, then I'd fully support not selling condoms to minors because it would prevent them from having sex.

But the reality of it is, it does discourage it somewhat but less then half of the time it stops a couple from having sex. It doesn't support having sex, it supports having safe sex... if they are going to do it I'd rather them not pass any STD... sure condoms aren't a 100% sure thing but I think they'd actually could lower the rate of STD distribution then not allowing them to purchase condoms.

Think of it as sex education. These minors are going to see and touch condoms anyway before they can be declared as adults. Familiarize themselves with condoms and other sexual contraptions can reduce the amount of ignorance regarding sexual contact or intercourse later on, hence, generating a chance for STD infection to lower.

Holding a condom and explaining its usage is vastly different than giving a condom and telling the minors to go have sex or even hinting about having sex. Chances are, these minors aren't going to be affected by having salesperson selling condoms to them.

People are going to have teenage sex no matter what. Would you rather they use condoms, or would you rather they give birth at 15? It is the younger people who have the need for condoms. Denying them the rights to protection is just plain unfair. Having no condoms would NOT stop teen sex.

Of course, I'm one of those people who think condoms (the most basic ones...not the flavoured/ribbed/extra pleasure ones) should be free.

This is what I think...I honestly think that the age limit should still be 18 (it's at 18, right?). Now you may be thinking: Now where will the minors get the protection? Here are some options:

1. I think that all highschool infirmaries, guidance counselors/phsychiatrist offices, family clinics, and hospitals should have free condoms for anyone who asks.

2. Ask your parents/ older siblings or friends to buy some for you.

Now I know what you are thinking. You want to keep your secret of not being a virgin away from people in your life (especially from adults). Well (here's the funny part) you are sorta doing an "adult act", so own up to it.

You only get one childhood...don't ruin it by having the complication of sex involved. Do you want an STD? No. Do you honestly think you are capable of raising a child at this point? No? I thought so.

I'm sure that every minor hates hearing this phrase: "You're not old enough to _______". Well when you get older, you will be, but then you will be too old for things you should could only have done when you were younger. It just seems to me that kids nowadays are growing up too fast (am I sounding like an adult to everyone right now? I'm just 19, and I'm saying this from experience). How about just sticking with the original things? First kiss, first base, second base, third base (which is quite fun), but not every single relationship has to lead to sex.

As if drinking, illegal drugs, and tobacco weren't enough for parents to worry about their kids, now they have to think about sex (well not just now...it's been going on for decades, but it hasn't exceeded as much as this new millenium).

By placing an age limit on condoms, that's pretty much placing an age limit on having sex (well duh, that's the main purpose of condoms). There is an age limit for sex/marriage here in America, and that's 18. If you have sex before 18 without a condom, well then you'll have to suffer the consequences (just like a minor drinking too much alcohol...he/she would have to suffer alcohol poisoning).

-BGS

I dont think safe sex should have an age limit.If your gonna do it the least you can do is be safe.By having an age limit you cannot get the protection you seek.

Though condoms are primarily used for sexual protection, there are other uses. Just because a person buys a pack of condoms doesn't necesarrily mean they will have sex. I know I'm making a rather unusual statement, it still holds true nonetheless.

Same in most regions I think: All about finding the right pub.

I say no legal age limit. Condoms already carry a stigma, even beyond specific religious beliefs. I don't see any harm in selling condoms to minors, and think that making this relatively open might decrease the stigma, and hopefully lead to safer sex.

Of course, realizing that the "abstinence vs. sex education" argument isn't likely to be resolved easily, I can see compelling reasons from the abstinence side for putting a legal age on it, so that it's left to the discretion of adults at the very least.

At the very least, if it's legal to be having sex, it should certainly be legal to get protection -- it only encourages pregnancy and the spread of disease to have it otherwise.

Consider it this way: If a person is looking to buy condoms, the same person is most likely thinking of having sex. Does it make sense, then, to prevent the person from buying condoms knowing that there are intentions to have what is now likely to be unprotected sex?

People used to be scared of having sex because condoms were illegal, and therefore, widely unavailable. Now they are as easy to obtain as ice--hereby creating our problem. Though unprotected teen sex still happens, it didn't become an integral part of any social system until the introduction of contraceptives into the legal market.

There ought to be an age limit regarding their sale and distribution, and it ought to be 18, at least, and punishable as a federal offense. Many might complain that the government is interfering with people's lives--while I would say that they're just regulating commerce and promoting the general welfare like they're supposed to.

Casual sex destroys lives.

How can you possibly justify setting a legal age limit to acquire contraception -- above the age of consent? It's contrary to have the age of consent at 14 (or, I think, 16 in most states?) and then limit access to contraception.

I don't think the fact that contraceptives being available has increased teen sex. I think teen sex has increased because of the fact that in recent decades, sex has been talked about in ways that it wasn't before. It's in the culture and all over. It's been happening since the '50s. For better or for worse, that's how it is. I think that condoms should be available to anyone. Though I don't support an eleven-year-old having sex, I think he should use a condom while doing it. Better safe than sorry. I lost my virginity at 15, for better or for worse. However, I used a condom while doing it, and I have ever since.

On age of consent, the age of consent here in New York is 17. However, the law is pretty flexible. It states that it's illegal for anyone over 21 to engage in sexual activity with anyone under 17. So, if I'm 20 and my girlfriend's 16, it's fine with New York.

If governments have even an inkling of a thought that they can prevent sex between minors just be having a legal age at which people are "allowed" to have sex, it would only make sense for them to in turn pass a law that would only sell birth control to people at or above that age.

And yet...as long as there are laws, people will break them. Restricting the sale of birth control to minors would just mean that more minors will begin having unprotected sex. So I say, if minors are going to have sex, at least make available to them the resources to have it safely.

Indeed we have a strange subject here...

It would kinda seem awkward or even taboo to me to see a early teen male to walk into the local pharmacy, pick up a box of condoms and buy 'em. I can understand that the hormones are running high amongst many teens that want sex and need condoms. But, there needs to be some sort of supervision, persay the supervision of the legal gaurdian.

I donno', I guess my mind is fixated on the fact that underage sex is highly looked down upon in the place where I live. I wouldn't know how different underage sex in the citys would be, but I personally just couldn't see thousands of little ones running around with boxes of condoms... :0

Originally Posted by LionHarted

People used to be scared of having sex because condoms were illegal, and therefore, widely unavailable. Now they are as easy to obtain as ice--hereby creating our problem. Though unprotected teen sex still happens, it didn't become an integral part of any social system until the introduction of contraceptives into the legal market.

Would you rather have fewer people having dangerous sex, or more people having safe sex? I would like to see a good source that shows that condoms being unavailable will discourage sex.

Did you just say unprotected sex didn't happen until condoms went into the market? What kind of sex did they have then?

Casual sex destroys lives.

A bold statement...can you support it? I know some of the sluttiest of sluts, and they're doing just fine.

That brings up a lot of controversy, but I myself am a bit of a sex-supporter. I would say, if they're going to have sex, however much you don't want them to, sell them a condom. I mean, if they're gonna arrest people for DUI and claim it's for their and others' protection, then you need to use the same excuse when selling condoms.

Er... sans the arrest.

As for me, I don't think that condoms should have any age limit.

The reason why I don't think there should be an age limit is teenagers really wanting to have sex are going to do it anyway whether they have a condom or not. Since it's inevitable that those who want to have sex are going to do it, condoms might as well be accessible to them whenever they need them. Most kids who start having sex at an early age aren't near concerned with STD's as they are with pregnancy. If they don't have condoms, they'll use the ol' "jerk and squirt" method. Not good.

So that's my reasoning behind why condoms should have no age limit. Having sex at an early age is not a good idea, but having unprotected sex is much worse and much riskier.

Well, yeah. I guess I have mixed feelings on this subject. Overall I guess I really wouldn't mind the sale of them, it wouldn't put a negative affect on me or my life(unless I have a daughter in the future :0). It's just that there should be some sort of supervision, some type of regulation to the youths. Kids would go willy nilly if there was absolutly no restrictions on condom purchases.

I'm pretty much on the same boat as BGS on this one. Ideally it's best if minors (because children as young as 6 are having sex) abstaine. It's the only proven way to prevent the communication of a sexually transmitted disease or an unplanned pregnancy. Leave the foreplay to those legally considered adults.

But since this isn't an ideal world I'd rather have them practice safe sex. Condoms don't promote or increase sexual activities in the underaged. It promotes safe sex. Sure condoms & other forms of birth control are not 100% garuanteed to keep one disease & pregancy free, but it shows a sign of responsibility. Because the alternative is very risky behavior. Of course a teenager's brain is still developing, so they may know that underage sex is illegal (& not just rape) but they still can't fathom the consequences of their actions. And in speaking of underage rape, it would be ideal if the rapist used a condom (whether male or female).

Now of course I think there should be an age limit on condoms themselves. I mean if you've had that thing in your wallet, purse, panty drawer, whatever for a couple of years it's time to throw it out & get a new one. 'Cause those things have shelf lives.

So, in conclusion, I think that condoms or what-have-you should be made available, even if it is through the family doctor or state/county programs such as Family Pact & Planned Parenthood, but they need an adult to get it for them. So what if the topic of sex makes their parents squeamish, their parents need to get out of the Middle Ages & into the 21st century anyways.