The Retort

Wrap Your Willy, It’s Not Silly

November 4th, 2011 by Amy Tackett Of The Retort Staff

Let me begin by saying I understand and respect Donnelly’s opinion and his decision to not use condoms. He has found someone he wants to be with and that is great; I am very happy for him. However, there were some generalizations he made in his article, “Wrapping Your Willy is Still Silly,” published on October 21 that I would like to point out.

First, condoms do not “enable people to make bad decisions” or “help people justify the wrong choices,” as Donnelly states. Condoms are merely a precaution against the negative consequences of the choices we make. Imagine this scenario: you are at a party, you drink, and you hook up with someone you barely know. This is college. While I do not partake in these activities, I do know quite a few people who do. They are not going to sit down and ponder whether or not the person they are sleeping with would make a good parent; neither are they going to rush to the clinic to get tested. They simply want to have a good time. Condoms allow them to practice safe sex; they are not the cause of their actions.

Condoms, although they do have flaws, help prevent two major events: the spread of STDs and unplanned pregnancies. Donnelly believes you should only have sex with someone “you’d be proud to reproduce with.” What if that person was infected with an STD? Would you still want to reproduce with them? Yes, there are ways you would still be able to conceive, but it takes away the pleasure of sex. In this situation, would it be wrong to use a condom? No, condoms allow these two people in a monogamous relationship to engage in the pleasures of sex, while preventing any spread of venereal disease.

Which brings me to my next point: children. Donnelly seems to believe there is nothing wrong with unplanned pregnancies. He states, “don’t be afraid to at least try raising two or three.” Children are not something you “just happen” to have with someone. They are not an accessory. You need to be emotionally and financially ready to raise a child. If anyone is in the same boat as me (meaning broke and stressed), college is not a good time to try raising a child. Going to school and working full time is hard enough and adding a child to the mix would have devastating consequences. I’m not saying that child would be unwanted or unloved, but it would be unfair to the child having a parent who is constantly on edge from all the stress. Just ask any parent on campus, raising a child and going to school is hard to do, although not impossible. Every parent I’ve met on campus does an incredible job of raising their child.

Condoms are not the enablers of peoples’ decisions; they are the tools to prevent negative consequences of those decisions. They do not cause people to “get into the habit of sleeping around in the first place.” College is a time to break free from parents and find your personal identity. Sex can play a role in this self-discovery and condoms are a safety precaution against STDs and unplanned pregnancies. Yes, condoms can fail, but the chances of contracting an STD or becoming pregnant without using one are much higher than if you do use one. Most college students just want to have fun. They are not prepared to settle down and raise a child. There is nothing wrong with hooking up, as long as it is safe. Student Health Services on campus and Planned Parenthood provide free condoms for students who just want to have a good time. This does not make college students “crusty losers” or “immature, selfish brats.” It just makes them human.