On September 11, the board of education voted unanimously to provide free condoms to students in all twenty-six MCPS high schools. This decision was made based on recent data that showed that there has been a surge in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in teens in the county.

This call for action has both its pros and cons. This decision gives teens the ability to access condoms when they need to without taking money from their own pocket or dealing with the embarrassment of going to a store to buy them.

This policy simply means that teens will be able to better practice safe sex and create good habits. This will prevent any further rise in STD rates in teenagers between the ages of 15-19, and allow teens to take responsibility.

Of course, we all know that too much freedom can also lead to poor choices. This is why some argue that teens might interpret free condoms as adult support of reckless behavior. It may send the message that teens get whatever they want and are not expected to face the consequences.

However, even if a few teens take this the wrong way and interpret the policy’s intentions wrongly, the positives far outnumber the negatives. I’m not saying that teenagers having sex is a good thing but at least they know with this policy that their schools and communities want them to be safe and protected.