Agenda - Council - 05/28/1991 - Laserfiche WebLink

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IYhat About Dating." Dating and getting to know other people is a normal part of life. Dating doesn't mcan thc same thing as having sex. Sexual intercourse as a parr of dating can be risky. One of the risks is AIDS. How can you tell if someone you're dating or would like to date has been exposed ro the AIDS virus? The bad news is, you can't. But the good news is, as long as sexual actMtw and sharing drug needles are avoided, it doesn't matter. You arc going to have to bc care- ful about thc person you become sexually involved with, malting your own dec/sion based on your own best judgment. That can be di~cult. Has this person had any sexually transmittcd diseases? How many people. have they been to bed with? Have they experimented with drugs.-' All these are sensitive, but important, questions. But you have a personal responsibility to ask. Think of it this wav. If you knowsomcon¢ well enough to have sex, then you should bc able to talk about AIDS. If someone is unwilling to talk, you shouldn't have sex. "Talk ro your rccnaflcrs about AIDS. It is prima rily a sexualh' transmitted disease. So (fiyou"rc floin~a ~o talk about AIDS, rherc'~ uo way j,ou cau avoid talkh~a about sex." ~ Sally luc A1Ds Counselor Do Married People Get AIDS? Married people who are uninfected, faithful and don't shoot drugs are not at risk. But if they engage in risky behavior (sec p~ac 3), they can become infected with : the AIDS virus and infect their parmers. If' you fed your spouse : may bc putting you at risk, talk to him oi' her. It's your life. I I I [ I I I I I What Is All The Talk About Condoms? Not so very long ago, condoms (rubbers or prophylactics) were things we didn't talk about yen, much. Now, they're discussed on the evening news and on the fi'ont page of your newspaper, and displayed out in the open in your local drug- store, groceu', and convenience store. For those who are sexually active and not limiting their sexual acrMt-v to one parme.', condoms have been shown to help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. That is why the use of condoms is recommended to help reduce the spread of AIDS. Condoms are the best preventive measure against A_IDS besides not having sex and practicing safe behavior (sec £a~c S). But condoms are far from being foolproof. You have to use them properly. And you have to use them every time you have sex, from start to finish. If you 'use a condom, you should remem- ber these kuidelines: (1) Use condoms made of latex rubber. Latex s_erves as a barrier to the virus. "Lambs 'kin" AMERICA RESPONDS or "natural men, brahe" condoms arc l~Ot as good because of the pores in thc material. Look for the word "latex" on the package. (2) A condom with a spermicide may pro- x:ide additional protection. Spermicides have been shown in laboraton' tests to kill thc virus. Use the spermicidc in thc tip and outside the condom. (3) Condom usc is safer with a lubricant. Check thc list of ingredients on the back of the lubricant package to make sure the lubricant is water-based. Do not use petroleum-based jelly, cold cream, baby oil or cooking shortening. These can weaken the condom and cause it to break. "Condoms eau bc most qfi.£cctivc n,heJ~ thcv arc used corrccrh', and there is a r(ahr wa~. aud a wrmU la~ex condom." ~ Drew Sissclman .~DS Volunteer TO AIDS I I I I I I I I