In a 5-1 preliminary vote, the school committee of Springfield (Massachusetts) has approved providing free condoms to students aged 12 and older. The service, which requires a second vote for final approval, would provide the condoms through Springfield school nurses and clinics. Those given the contraceptives would receive counselling in abstinence and how to use the condoms safely. Parents would also be allowed to opt out of the service for their children. "We can't stick our heads in the sand any more," said the committee's vice-chair.

Fantastic initiative, we hope this gets approved in the final voting round. If this initiative was rolled out worldwide, we think infection rates would drop dramatically -including other STD's than HIV- and unwanted teen pregnancies would also become a thing of the past.