Washington DC to distribute free female condoms

Within the next few weeks, Washington DC will be handing out 500,000 female condoms for free in parts of the city with high HIV, The Washington Post reports.

The move will make the District of Columbia the first city in the United States to distribute condoms for females at no cost.

Different approach to cut city's steep rate of HIV infection
The District will make 500,000 female condoms available in beauty salons, convenience stores and high schools in sections of the city that are plagued with high HIV rates, the Post says.

The city officials say the distribution could begin within the next three weeks.

A 2008 report showed at least 3 percent or about 15,100 adults in the nation's capital are living with HIV or AIDS, making it a major epidemic. HIV/AIDS infection is the leading cause of death among black women between 25 and 34 nationwide.

The condoms giveaway
The city officials said the distribution will take place in parts of wards 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7, where, as per a study results, large numbers of African American heterosexuals engage in risky sexual behavior that could easily lead to fatal infection.

The city has distributed male condoms citywide for nearly a decade to stem the District's epidemic of HIV and AIDS, but infection rates still remain high among Washington's black residents.

Now, the city officials say they want to provide women with an opportunity to protect themselves from HIV and sexually transmitted diseases when their partners refuse to use protection, the Post reports.

"Anywhere male condoms are available, female condoms will be available," Shannon Hader, director of the city's HIV/AIDS administration, told the Washington Post.

"We're trying to make every effort count to build on what already exists... to expand options rather than limit them."

Original and second version of female condoms
Female condoms have been in the U.S. market since 1993 but their usage has been slow, as the first version, FC1, was judged by US customers to be too expensive, about $17 for a box of five. Women who used it complained that it was unsatisfactory.

A second version, approved by the Federal Drug Administration last year, will be distributed in Washington DC and offered for sale in pharmacies alongside male condoms.

The new and improved version of the female condom, FC2, now being used in countries including South Africa, Brazil, and Indonesia, consists of special polyurethane that conducts body heat to enhance sexual sensation for both men and women, claims Female Health Co., the manufacturer of the condom.

"There are areas where the city is not doing a good job [with AIDS], but in some areas they are cutting edge. On this one, they're cutting edge," Walter Smith, executive director of D.C. Appleseed, told the Post. "The very fact that they're doing this . . . says to women of the city that this is important to you. This is important to your families. Get with the program."

The grant and its usage
The female condom giveaway is funded through a $500,000 grant from the MAC AIDS Fund, a subsidiary of MAC Cosmetics, which contributes to numerous city programs, including two of the city's needle exchange programs.

Using the grant, the city will buy the female condoms at wholesale prices from its manufacturer and provide them for distribution by social service organizations, including Planned Parenthood, the Community Education Group, and the Women's Collective.