STD-Testing Color-Changing Condoms Sound Awesome -- But Aren't Feasible Or Wise

Two of the media’s favorite tropes met this week in an eye-catching story about the award-winning creative idea of three teens in England: condoms that change color when they detect a sexually transmitted infection. It’s the “whiz-kid-makes-scientific-discovery” tale plus sex. No wonder it’s trending on everything from BuzzFeed to the Washington Post. But we’ve seen before that the whiz kid narrative can be oversold (or, as I’ve chronicled before, incredibly convoluted), and that’s again the case here, at least so far as most media outlets are selling it.

At first blush, the concept sounds pretty creative: find out instantly when it matters most that you’re carrying a bacterial or viral infection. But despite headlines like “Teens invent color-changing condoms to warn of STDs” at CBS News, the three boys, Daanyaal Ali, 14, Chirag Shah, 14, and Muaz Nawaz, 13, of Isaac Newton Academy in London, did not invent an STI-testing condom any more than H.G. Wells invented a time machine. Their idea is currently just that – a concept – and with current technology, it’s a scientifically implausible one. It’s also pretty problematic in terms of ethics and the messy realities of human communication and relationships.

Before I continue raining on this parade, I will concede that it’s great to see teenage boys taking the problem of STIs seriously and thinking imaginatively about ways to tackle such a problem. A color-changing STI-detecting condom is nothing if not enterprising, and the TeenTech award the boys won (in the category “Future of Health”) is designed “to encourage young people who may never have considered themselves as future scientists or engineers to understand more about emerging industries and real life problems and see how they can play a part in solving them,” said Maggie Philbin, CEO of TeenTech CIC.

AHHA!...I knew there had to be a down side found with the typical liberal handwringing:

If you’re comfortable enough to have sex with someone, you should be comfortable enough to talk to them about STIs, Baldwin points out. And if you’re comfortable talking to them about STIs, then you should be able to visit the doctor or one of the many clinics, such as Planned Parenthood clinics, that will do confidential testing.

But in abusive relationships, these condoms could become one more item in the arsenal used to control, shame and harm another person.

“Many people move about this world thinking they don’t have a sexually transmitted disease and believe in all honesty they’re telling the truth,” Ray-Jones said. “But it could positive, and what would be the repercussions of that if there is abusive relationship?” Aside from the immediate threat of violence, “the partner could use that to manipulate and control their partner, whether it’s true or not.” An abuser could claim the condom shows their partner has an STI and use that to force the person to stay with them or to threaten to tell others. That’s one of several scenarios Ray-Jones described to me in which this innovative idea could go cause significant harm in real life. __________________________________________________

Yeah but we have STD's that can kill you.....but hey dont be stomping on the free sex crowd.....what a buzz kill. /sarc

If you’re comfortable enough to have sex with someone, you should be comfortable enough to talk to them about STIs, Baldwin points out.

According to the Left, you do not have to have this discussion. They are working to repeal requirements that persons with AIDS notify their sexual partners.

AIDPRIDE and all that rot.

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