Philly Pre-Teen Condom Site Causes Furor

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia's new campaign to educate young teens on the dangers of sexual activity has sparked some hot debate around town.

The new Web site is called www.takecontrolphilly.org and it is run by the Philadelphia Department Of Health (and funded with taxpayer dollars).

The Health Department is offering condoms - for free - to kids as young as 11, with no questions asked.

In addition to the Web site, the department is using a Facebook page and Twitter account to talk about free condoms.

The Web site asks people to acknowledge they are between 11 and 19 years of age before they submit a request for free condoms. Female condoms are also available but must be picked up in person at one or five local offices.

While it is important to educate, many people are asking how young is too young?

Dr. Manny Alvarez, the Senior Managing Health Editor of FoxNews.com, said in a column on Wednesday that the city may have good intentions, but there are problems.

"I’m all for education as a form of prevention. But, to tell you the truth, I don’t think this program is going about it the right way," Alvarez wrote.

"If anything, this program has the potential to increase rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases."

Columnist Ronnie Polaneczky at the Inquirer says the reality of the life in the city of Philadelphia is that there is a need.

"There are no easy solutions. This is a complicated problem, exacerbated by generational poverty and family collapse that paralyzes our cities in ways too myriad to address in one column," writes Polaneczky.

"Like I said, thinking about it makes me want to cry. But that's not a good enough reason to keep condoms out of the backpacks of 11-year-olds who will be sexually active whether we like it or not."