Owen 1

Connor Owen
Professor Morean
30 October 2014
English 100.15
Summary on Condoms article
The Holyoke School Committee decided to make condoms available to students in grades
6-12 which caused the Catholic Bishop of Springfield to protest against it. The Bishop was
disgusted by this and argues the School Committee is advocating adolescent sex. Along with the
Bishop, some parents and committee members did not agree with the policy. The School
Committees reasoning for their policy was to try and reduce the citys high rates of teenage
pregnancies and high incidences of AIDS. After statistics came out from 2002 showing that
Holyokes teenage birth rate ranked the highest in the state second in 2004, the School
Committee decided they needed to act upon the issue. Before students can receive condoms, they
must visit the nurse to discuss pregnancy, AIDS, abstinence, and how condoms are not 100
percent effective. The School system will also send a letter to all parents about the policy and
include a form for which they can return to prevent their children from receiving condoms. The
program was set to begin in the high school and extend to grades 6-8 if successful.

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Works cited
Abel, Globe Staff, David. "Bishop attacks school condom plan." Boston Globe 26 Oct. 2004:
1+2. Boston Globe. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.