California Condom Labeling Bill Put on Hold

A state bill that would have required tough new warning labels for condoms sold in California has been pulled from consideration in the Legislature by its Republican author. The legislation, passed unanimously by the state Senate, would have made California the first state to require more detailed condom warnings than those required by the US Food and Drug Administration. Debate in the Assembly will be postponed until next year. The bill had cast the state into the center of an ideological and medical debate over the effectiveness of condoms. It would require labeling that warns that condoms do not protect against human papilloma virus (HPV).

Critics see condom warning labels as a stealthy attempt by conservatives to promote abstinence at the expense of safe sex, and they say that people will not stop to read the fine print in the heat of passion. But Sen. Jim Battin (R-La Quinta), the bill's author, said he was merely trying to ensure truth in labeling for condoms. Battin pulled the bill so he could try to address concerns raised by opponents on the Assembly Health Committee. Battin said his wife's 1994 battle with cervical cancer motivated his legislation. Although her cancer was not related to HPV, he learned of the strong link between cervical cancer and HPV.

But Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood) argued that warning labels would complicate efforts to fight HIV. And he worried that even without warning labels, people are practicing unprotected sex because they are bored with condoms. "Some people will choose more preferable sex and a chance of death over safe sex," Koretz said.

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