And proud of it-or should be. When Carole Rogers of the city's Health Department began a program in 1995 to make the ugly-looking items widely available, many health professionals didn't believe their clients would use them. They were wrong. Rogers was right. And Philadelphia's program has become a model for countries in Africa and Asia.
Women can use pills, diaphragms or other methods for contraception.
But Continue to next column prevention of HIV , syphilis and gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes and the human papilloma virus, women have had to rely on men using condoms. On some occasions, experts say, a woman's request for her partner to use a condom was met woth distrust, maybe abuse. Even when that didn't happen, embarrassment probably led to a lot of unsafe sex. It's probably not coincidental that STDs in the city have declined significantly in the city have declined significantly. While the drop can't be attributed solely to the use of female condoms, it's obvious that it has made a difference.