Plan will allow 16-year-olds to buy condoms

Pdfile

Rippy wrote: »

I was not aware there was a minimum age for buying condoms.
They should be available to anyone having sex regardless of age .
I would prefer 14 or 15 year olds buying and using condoms rather than risking pregnancy and STIs.

statistically speaking, 1 in 7 women have an STD... since all women are sluts from 16 onwards...

You wont need a condom at 14/15

Stercus Accidit

De-regulate condoms immediately, having any sort of restriction on them has no benefit to society at all.

johnmcdnl

I never even knew it was illegal to get them under 17 tbh...

they should be available to anyone regardless of age.. this isn't holy Catholic Ireland anymore and times have changed.... young people have sex and are going to have sex...

making it legal to buy condoms isn't going to change how many people have sex... for say a 15 year old lad the hard part is trying to get a girl to have sex - not getting a condom... if it's made harder for him to find condoms he's still gonna chat that girl up and try to ride her regardless except now he might just get her pregnant or get an STI.... and that socially awkward kid is still not going to get the ride even if he buys 100 condoms a day :pac: so having the ability to buy condoms isn't going to cause problems... lads who are trying to get the ride will be able to get a condom someway regardless....

this isn't like drinking or smoking... if the teenager can't buy alcohol he can't get drunk or if they can't buy smokes they can't smoke.... if they can't buy condoms that won't stop them having the ability to have sex....
makes sense to me anyways.... but of course this is Ireland so I expect the law to be changed alright but now you'll have to be 21 to buy condoms.. :rolleyes: just to keep the Joe Duffy callers happy

innovation.

Do people think people who aren't legally allowed to purchase condoms don't use them? I'm 16 and I've had sex 6 times already (not that I'm proud of it ). But whenever I have, I've made sure I've had a condom. It only takes one friend to go in to the likes of boots - steal a box of them then give you one. Maybe not the most convenient, but if it prevents me from an STD, I'm not complaining. So just because we aren't allowed to legally purchase them doesn't mean we don't, teenagers aren't as stupid as we are perceived to be. :pac:

TheReverend

This kinda reminds me of when our college was giving out free condoms, family member went mad, couldnt believe it lol

MrStuffins

innovation. wrote: »

Do people think people who aren't legally allowed to purchase condoms don't use them? I'm 16 and I've had sex 6 times already (not that I'm proud of it ). But whenever I have, I've made sure I've had a condom. It only takes one friend to go in to the likes of boots - steal a box of them then give you one. Maybe not the most convenient, but if it prevents me from an STD, I'm not complaining. So just because we aren't allowed to legally purchase them doesn't mean we don't, teenagers aren't as stupid as we are perceived to be. :pac:

He steals johnnies and then gives you one? I hope he steals lube too!

Anyway, I seriously don't think there would be a phamracy worker around who would refuse condoms to a teenager! It's completely irresponsible!

mackg

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Nowhere near it.

I'm just saying that the correct way to bring up kids is to make them mature and independent and confident enough to say "no, f**k off".

Reality is over here buddy, there are few single(;)) men of any age that will turn down sex, expecting a 15/16 year old to do it is mental.

MitchKoobski

You needed to be 18 to buy condoms?

News to me. I can't remember ever hearing someone being asked for ID when they wanted condoms for safe sex and preventing STD's....

wild_cat

A few of my friends would have gotten the morning after pill at 16/17 no problem.


Many the time's a load of us would arrive in with said friend to the doctors surgery school uniforms on and all and wait till they came out.

I'm pretty sure it was a young GP that everyone went to. Thank heavens they didn't mind giving them out.

Tis hard buying condoms in a small town. Most of the time one of your parents/siblings friends is the one selling them to you.

Thank god I feared babies more than embarrassment though. I can't ever remember being ID'd...

Ha I just remembered. One of my friends at 15 needed a pregnancy test and we had to come to Dublin for the day to get it, we were too afraid to buy it back home. The fecking bitch sent me and my boyfriend at the time into get it. We walked in hand in hand, two really rocker looking teenagers and he asked for it in a way that you'd swear he was doing an impression of Alan Partridge. Really loud... and the whole shop could hear..

"CAN WE HAVE ONE PREGNANCY TEST PLEASE?!".

She did it in the toilets of the savoy. There was no baby... well not until she hit 18.... Its good when posh kids who's parents think they are the bee's knee's get pregnant especially when you've grown to hate them and they are not your friend any more.

seamus

Liam Byrne wrote: »

There was absolutely no level of concern or thought put into actually telling kids that holding off on having sex was a damn good idea until they were mature enough to handle it

....

Not if you bring them up right to have their own mind and not be an idiotic prat when it comes to peer pressure.

Are you male? And do you remember being 15? I don't know about you, but no amount of "hold off until you're mature enough" would have prevented me from jumping at the possibility of sex had it presented itself.

I didn't want sex because of peer pressure or because of teenage angst or to get back at my parents or any of that nonsense. I wanted sex because my body was swimming with hormones and I was horny, constantly. Granted, I probably would have been scared sh*tless if it was actually offered to me, but I wouldn't have fretted over whether or not it was a good idea. It's always a good idea when you're 15.

And at 14/15/16/17 when the two possible outcomes are, "Do what your hormones say" or "Do what your parents advise", well sorry Ma and Da, but the hormones are going to win every time.

I still find it so bizarre that anyone still thinks that sitting teenagers down and talking to them about sex is going to convince them to not do it. They want to do it. And although the majority of them don't actually manage to get any until they're legal (the average age in western countries is 16-18 and generally hasn't dipped below that), that doesn't mean they won't spend half their time trying to find it.

Liam Byrne

MrStuffins wrote: »

Liam Byrne wrote: »

The fact that normal people know that it isn't is a bad sign in itself.

Heroin, cocaine, whatever......I couldn't give a crap how it's taken and I don't really want to know because I'm not that anxious to appear "cool" and "with it" if that involves being au fait with what idiots do.

hahahaha, this post was hilarious! For some reason I read the second part in Grandpa Simpson's voice!

Glad that you think it's a laughing matter :rolleyes:

WindSock

They should be free like they are in civilised countries.

hairy sailor

Of course the church will be against this as they have alway's frowned upon contraception,they never had any use for it as there's no chance of getting young boy's pregnant.

orourkeda

Contraception for the horniest people alive Joe. Its a disgrace.

Most 16 year olds would shag anything that moves given the opportunity.

MitchKoobski

WindSock wrote: »

They should be free like they are in civilised countries.

If you want lubed or ribbed for her pleasure, then you pay. :cool:

orourkeda

MitchKoobski wrote: »

If you want lubed or ribbed for her pleasure, then you pay. :cool:

Its only fair that you should pay something for a spot of arse sex.

ScumLord

Abortions for some miniature american condoms for others.

If any person is going to have sex they have the right to protect themselves and no big nosed Duffite should have the right to stop them.

Proper education of young girls so they know not to get themselves up to the duff to early would fix the rest of it. You can't bring in laws to fight nature, young adults will have sex there's absolutely nothing that anyone can do about it. It's nature and you will lose if you try to fight an animals reproductive drive.

Snotra

WindSock wrote: »

They should be free like they are in civilised countries.

.. and handed out for free in schools!

I remember sex education when I was around 13-14, we weren't even allowed to leave without a fist full of condoms.

wild_cat

Snotra wrote: »

.. and handed out for free in schools!

I remember sex education when I was around 13-14, we weren't even allowed to leave without a fist full of condoms.

Really we were told they couldn't be discussed as it went against the school ethos?

mackg

Snotra wrote: »

.. and handed out for free in schools!

I remember sex education when I was around 13-14, we weren't even allowed to leave without a fist full of condoms.

They started sex ed in my school when I was in 6th class. It was brought in so that you started in 4th class so we basically would only have got a year of it. We shared a room with the 4th class students and instead of letting us get the one year we were made leave the class rooom when the sex ed was taking place. Bizarre.

afatbollix

Snotra wrote: »

.. and handed out for free in schools!

I remember sex education when I was around 13-14, we weren't even allowed to leave without a fist full of condoms.

Awwww I remember sex ed, When I was 16 in 4th year... The talk was given by a nun! It was all about how your voice goes deeper and some hair grows in areas.

But the wet dream speech was the weirdest part.. 'You might need to get your PJs into the wash before your mother sees them'

Not one word of sex, condoms or STIs..

I took the piss as my folks took the job on and told me all about it years before. But seriously some of the guys in the class learned things that day which makes me sad..


Did you know that in the UK they start sex ed as young at 7 or 8 ( just the basics like body parts and all that) but by the time they are 12 they know everything. Here in Ireland its swept all under the carpet and hopefully no one will bring it up attitude

Snotra

wild_cat wrote: »

Really we were told they couldn't be discussed as it went against the school ethos?

Oh, I didn't attend secondary school in Ireland. But that was part of the national education plan and no one seemed to think there was anything wrong with it.

Snotra

afatbollix wrote: »

Awwww I remember sex ed, When I was 16 in 4th year... The talk was given by a nun! It was all about how your voice goes deeper and some hair grows in areas.

But the wet dream speech was the weirdest part.. 'You might need to get your PJs into the wash before your mother sees them'

Not one word of sex, condoms or STIs..

I took the piss as my folks took the job on and told me all about it years before. But seriously some of the guys in the class learned things that day which makes me sad..


Did you know that in the UK they start sex ed as young at 7 or 8 ( just the basics like body parts and all that) but by the time they are 12 they know everything. Here in Ireland its swept all under the carpet and hopefully no one will bring it up attitude

I'm not too familiar with the Irish school system to be honest - so I'll refrain on being too harsh on it.

But... A NUN?! For sex education?!

What does sex education in Ireland really cover? Is it just "changes" to your body or do they allow a discussion about sex (not just the bad parts like STI etc..)?

Liam Byrne

seamus wrote: »

Are you male? And do you remember being 15? I don't know about you, but no amount of "hold off until you're mature enough" would have prevented me from jumping at the possibility of sex had it presented itself.

Yes, I'm male
Yes, I remember being 15

And yes, I was perfectly able to have the cop-on to hold of on sex until well after that, despite a number of opportunities (one or two which were less than subtle, but I won't mention names! ).

Maybe I don't give my parents enough credit for actually putting a shedload of common sense into me compared to others.

I just don't understand the mentality.....it's like someone saying "15 year olds will drink"......no they won't, if they're brought up properly. I'd no problem staying off sex, or drink, and I don't understand the concept of not being able to have self-control and common sense.

My dad told me that I could start drinking any time, as long as he bought the first. As a result, he bought it for me at my 18th birthday party.

And this has nothing to do with religious beliefs, btw, before anyone tries to dismiss it as that. I'm not even remotely religious.

But preparation for life involves knowing when you should and shouldn't do something. The "I want it now" culture is what has us where we are today.

Anyway, maybe there's a massive difference between the way some of us were brought up or something.....I just don't understand the fascination or obsession with having sex or boozing or a whole host of other stuff that people seem to accept that "teenagers will do"; if they're given the right upbringing and the scope to apply common sense, there's no need to indulge in stuff that can easily wait.

Mr Benevolent

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

in before snyper, giggity goo and all that bollox

Poor old snyper.

Liam Byrne

mackg wrote: »

Reality is over here buddy, there are few single(;)) men of any age that will turn down sex, expecting a 15/16 year old to do it is mental.

:rolleyes: The "men" that you know must be pretty sad and desperate.

It's meant to be fun, and the Irish hang-up about it is ridiculous, but you don't do it "just for the sake of it".

G_R

Snotra wrote: »

I'm not too familiar with the Irish school system to be honest - so I'll refrain on being too harsh on it.

But... A NUN?! For sex education?!

What does sex education in Ireland really cover? Is it just "changes" to your body or do they allow a discussion about sex (not just the bad parts like STI etc..)?

I think it depends on who is teaching the class.

When I was in sixth class we got the talk on how babies are made, and changes to you're body etc etc. Then in SPHE class in First Year we got told about Condoms, STD's and the like.

MrStuffins

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Glad that you think it's a laughing matter :rolleyes:

I just think your posts a laughing matter. Your posts are so out of touch with reality it's mind-boggling!

Here's a perfect example

mackg wrote: »

Reality is over here buddy, there are few single() men of any age that will turn down sex, expecting a 15/16 year old to do it is mental.

Liam Byrne wrote: »

The "men" that you know must be pretty sad and desperate.

Have you never MET a man? If you think the men that you know would turn down sex from a good looking woman you're completely mistaken!

In fact, should you be a single man and you turned it down, i'd seriously consider your sanity!

K-9

See what you are saying but 15/16 year olds can still make mistakes or get carried away. I'd prefer them buying condoms than a young girl having to get the emergency pill and facing some of the doctors that have attitudes about it.

Liam Byrne

MrStuffins wrote: »

Have you never MET a man? If you think the men that you know would turn down sex from a good looking woman you're completely mistaken!

In fact, should you be a single man and you turned it down, i'd seriously consider your sanity!

In that case thanks for questioning my sanity.......but I'm perfectly happy with it, thanks.

I'm not so desperate for sex that I have to grab every single opportunity whether I want to have it or not.

I love steak, too. But I don't eat it if I'm not hungry.

MrStuffins

Liam Byrne wrote: »

In that case thanks for questioning my sanity.......but I'm perfectly happy with it, thanks.

I'm not so desperate for sex that I have to grab every single opportunity whether I want to have it or not.

I love steak, too. But I don't eat it if I'm not hungry.

Steak and Sex are 2 very different things. For a start it should take you more than 30 seconds to eat a Steak :P

The fact here is, if a 15 or 16 year old has gotten to the stage, perhaps despite pro-active parenting and sex education and all that jazz, where they actually need to buy condoms, then it's quite obvious they have made the decision to have sex.

Buying condoms in fact shows great maturity and responsibility. Some people think if you dont make them available that will stop people having sex. These people are idiots!

I was having sex when I was 16. I always used condoms. Sex is great now and sex was great when I was 16. I was careful and nothing but good things came from it. What's the problem?

hooradiation

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Yes, I'm male
Yes, I remember being 15

And yes, I was perfectly able to have the cop-on to hold of on sex until well after that, despite a number of opportunities (one or two which were less than subtle, but I won't mention names! ).

Your fanciful tales of the steely determination it took to not get laid aside - how is your arbitrary definition of when it's ok to fuck someone better than anyone else's?

Liam Byrne

hooradiation wrote: »

Your fanciful tales of the steely determination it took to not get laid aside - how is your arbitrary definition of when it's ok to fuck someone better than anyone else's?

Someone who can't control their base impulses isn't mature.

Part of learning for life is determining when to act on them and when to hold off.

If a teenager has that sussed, then they're mature enough to have sex; if they haven't, then they're not mature enough to have sex.

Mind you, given that lots of posts here seem to imply that drinking to excess is macho, and that saying "I don't want one" or "I've had enough" is something to be ridiculed, I doubt the point behind the above fact will be understood.

Liam Byrne

MrStuffins wrote: »

Steak and Sex are 2 very different things. For a start it should take you more than 30 seconds to eat a Steak :P

The fact here is, if a 15 or 16 year old has gotten to the stage, perhaps despite pro-active parenting and sex education and all that jazz, where they actually need to buy condoms, then it's quite obvious they have made the decision to have sex.

Buying condoms in fact shows great maturity and responsibility. Some people think if you dont make them available that will stop people having sex. These people are idiots!

I was having sex when I was 16. I always used condoms. Sex is great now and sex was great when I was 16. I was careful and nothing but good things came from it. What's the problem?

All that would sound great - and relatively mature - if you hadn't snidely implied earlier that it wasn't actually possible to turn down sex from a good-looking woman.

That earlier post completely negates your post above.

MrStuffins

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Someone who can't control their base impulses isn't mature.

Part of learning for life is determining when to act on them and when to hold off.

If a teenager has that sussed, then they're mature enough to have sex; if they haven't, then they're not mature enough to have sex.

Exactly. This 15/16 year old has shown that they CAN control their urges and rather than just give into them and risk ended up with a baby, they make the concious and responsible decision, the mature decision, to protect themselves from pregnancy and STIs. What exactly is wrong with this scenario?

MrStuffins

Liam Byrne wrote: »

All that would sound great - and relatively mature - if you hadn't snidely implied earlier that it wasn't actually possible to turn down sex from a good-looking woman.

That earlier post completely negates your post above.

I never said it was impossible! I said most men would not turn it down.

You see, it's not hard to have safe sex these days. So why turn down sex from a good looking woman? You'll enjoy it, she'll enjoy it if she has low standards, everything is safe and everybody wins.

I seriously don't see your gripe here with people having access to condoms

hooradiation

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Someone who can't control their base impulses isn't mature.

Part of learning for life is determining when to act on them and when to hold off.

If a teenager has that sussed, then they're mature enough to have sex; if they haven't, then they're not mature enough to have sex.

Yeah, y'see - the correct answer to that question was "it isn't".

All this is just you peddling your totally arbitrary justifications about why your decision to wait until some poorly self-defined milestone was awesome and everyone should be more like you.

Liam Byrne

MrStuffins wrote: »

Exactly. This 15/16 year old has shown that they CAN control their urges and rather than just give into them and risk ended up with a baby, they make the concious and responsible decision, the mature decision, to protect themselves from pregnancy and STIs. What exactly is wrong with this scenario?

No. They haven't shown that they "CAN control their urges". They've planned to give in to them.

It solves the immediate problems and risks, which is infinitely better than nothing, but if they are just going to have it because it's available then they're not mature enough to have it.

Liam Byrne

MrStuffins wrote: »

I seriously don't see your gripe here with people having access to condoms

I don't have a gripe with "people" having access to condoms.

I have an issue with immature teenagers having access to them, and facilitating that mindset being peddled as "progressive".

hooradiation wrote:

All this is just you peddling your totally arbitrary justifications about why your decision to wait until some poorly self-defined milestone was awesome and everyone should be more like you.

What are you on about ? :rolleyes: How is the legal age - 17 - my own personal "poorly self-defined milestone" ?

MrStuffins

Liam Byrne wrote: »

No. They haven't shown that they "CAN control their urges". They've planned to give in to them.

It solves the immediate problems and risks, which is infinitely better than nothing, but if they are just going to have it because it's available then they're not mature enough to have it.

No, you're wrong here. Just because they're giving into the urges, does not make them immature at all. Where are you getting this from?

Haven't you ever "given into the urge"? Are you immature for giving into the urge? The vast vast majority of adults are not virgins. Does that make the vast majority of adults immature?

Having sex does not equal immaturity, you're talking out of your hat!

MrStuffins

Liam Byrne wrote: »

I don't have a gripe with "people" having access to condoms.

I have an issue with immature teenagers having access to them, and facilitating that mindset being peddled as "progressive".

Has anyone used the word progressive?

What's wrong with a teenager having access to condoms? What's wrong with a teenager who has been educated enough on the subject to seek out contraceptives having sex?

You talk about maturity, that screams maturity to me! But somehow you have made up some other arbitrary factors to make all of these people seeking contraception immature!

What's the difference between a 16 year old and a 20 year old doing it? Trust me, I knew just as much about sex at 16 than I do now. And i'm guessing you did too (if not, i've no idea why! I'm willing to bet most posters here will agree with me here)

At this stage I think you're just posting for the sake of posting!

Conall Cernach

krudler wrote: »

condoms were illegal to sell outside chemists in this country up until 1992, thats just batsh1t insane, and completely illegal before 1978 they had to be prescribed by a doctor and only to married couples.

there should be condom machines in secondary schools, teenagers have sex, always have, always will, better they have easy access to them and reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancies and std's than offending parents and the moral brigade

One thing I remember when growing up in the 80s was that girls could put you off sex by using the risk of pregnancy as an excuse. As we couldn't just whip out a condom we had to make do. Now with condoms being more readily available girls can't use the absence of one as an excuse not to go all the way. Does this put more pressure on girls today to give in to the boys pleading?

Liam Byrne

MrStuffins wrote: »

No, you're wrong here. Just because they're giving into the urges, does not make them immature at all. Where are you getting this from?

Haven't you ever "given into the urge"? Are you immature for giving into the urge? The vast vast majority of adults are not virgins. Does that make the vast majority of adults immature?

Having sex does not equal immaturity, you're talking out of your hat!

Again, you're stretching what I said in order to make it appear more than what I said.

The element of maturity involved is being capable of saying no. You don't have to use it, but if you're capable of it then you're mature enough.

So the issue is determining a maturity level where you could indeed say no and THEN choose to say yes.

It appears to be a circular argument, but it's perfectly logical.

I'm not saying ANYONE should "not give in" to the urges every so often - that's fun.

What I'm saying is that the maturity required is knowing that you can - and would if necessary - say no.

MrStuffins

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Again, you're stretching what I said in order to make it appear more than what I said.

The element of maturity involved is being capable of saying no. You don't have to use it, but if you're capable of it then you're mature enough.

So the issue is determining a maturity level where you could indeed say no and THEN choose to say yes.

It appears to be a circular argument, but it's perfectly logical.

I'm not saying ANYONE should "not give in" to the urges every so often - that's fun.

What I'm saying is that the maturity required is knowing that you can - and would if necessary - say no.

And buying condoms is certainly one of the scenarios that would immerge if a mature 16 year old was able to say "No, we can't risk that, we need to be careful here. Let's not have sex now and wait until I go buy condoms".

So, after all this, turns out you have no real issue to argue anymore. Enjoy your day!

Liam Byrne

Conall Cernach wrote: »

One thing I remember when growing up in the 80s was that girls could put you off sex by using the risk of pregnancy as an excuse. As we couldn't just whip out a condom we had to make do. Now with condoms being more readily available girls can't use the absence of one as an excuse not to go all the way. Does this put more pressure on girls today to give in to the boys pleading?

What makes you think it's "boys pleading" ? Do girls not actually want sex ?

And no-one should need an "excuse" not to go all the way. It's a choice. And while yes is yes (great), no is no.

Anyone - guy or girl - who's with someone who "pleads" is with someone who's too immature to be with.

And if they "give in" to "pleading" then they're immature themselves.

If they want to and are mature, then fine.

But again, if they feel they "can't" say no, then they're too immature and/or with the wrong person.

Liam Byrne

MrStuffins wrote: »

Has anyone used the word progressive?

Ridiculing alternative opinions by dismissing it via "how the real world is" is an example of this.

MrStuffins wrote: »

What's the difference between a 16 year old and a 20 year old doing it? Trust me, I knew just as much about sex at 16 than I do now. And i'm guessing you did too (if not, i've no idea why! I'm willing to bet most posters here will agree with me here)

What's that supposed to mean ?

MrStuffins wrote: »

At this stage I think you're just posting for the sake of posting!

Think what you like - you're wrong.

MrStuffins

Liam Byrne wrote: »

What's that supposed to mean ?

It means that 16 year olds know all about sex just as they know all about how what goes up must come down and how the earth orbits the sun.

You did too! If you didn't, I would be surprised. Just as surprised if you told me that at 16 you thought the sun orbited the earth!

Liam Byrne

MrStuffins wrote: »

You did too! If you didn't, I would be surprised. Just as surprised if you told me that at 16 you thought the sun orbited the earth!

Ah, so you're telling me what I know and knew, now ? And again stretching your frame of reference to include other stuff to make your stance look more logical ?

Ridiculous.

suicide_circus

Chris Hansen wrote: »

Feck sake did fingering die a death in this country??

Amen, nothing like a bit of old fashioned.

K-9

The under age pregnancy rate is dropping so the safe sex message must be starting to get through. As others said, they'll get them anyway so it's a rather stupid law.