A recent New York Times article confirmed what most of us know already: condoms are effective at preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. One doctor in the article even goes so far as to nominate the condom for "the greatest technological invention of the past 2,000 years." Why? They don't need a prescription, they don't have an age limit, they're affordable, they can fit in your pocket, they're not messy, they save lives… the list goes on and on. So why is this news?

Because despite all of the progress in sexuality education and in preventing pregnancy and disease, there are still many misconceptions floating around about condoms. It's common to hear that condoms don't feel good, that they break frequently, that they don't protect against HIV or other STIs or pregnancy… even that their mere presence encourages people to make irresponsible decisions. Where do the myths and misinformation come from? Sadly, the usual suspects of conservative "values" are spreading inaccurate information in the global war on condoms, saying that condoms don't work in preventing pregnancy or disease. Given those "facts", it's no wonder that the Bush Administration focuses on the "AB without the C" strategy.

Except that public health strategies should rely on science-based evidence, not ideology and hearsay. And the evidence clearly shows that the ‘C' is a very important and effective tool for sexually active people who want to protect themselves. This will continue to be news as long as the abstinence-only crowd wages war on contraceptives.