Officials cave to condom ad complaints

Jackson County health officials have pulled a condom ad that shows two teenagers in the heat of passion. Hank Collins, the Jackson County Health and Human Services director, said the move was not in response to community criticism of two 30-second spots that have aired for six weeks on commercial and cable stations in Southern Oregon. "There was clearly an organized movement out there where people were told to call this number and complain," said Collins, adding that there were plenty of `attaboys` on his message machine. The second ad will continue to run through November. It urges teens to "Protect yourself. Love, Mom and Dad" and replaces the O`s with unwrapped condoms. In the pulled ad, two teenagers are shown in the throes of passion. The boy says, "I want this moment to last forever." The girl opens an envelope that reads "Love, Mom and Dad," and takes out a condom. "I don`t," she tells him. After November, both ads will be stopped for an assessment of their effectiveness. "I want to make sure we`re not just throwing money at something," Collins said. "How do I know if the juice is worth the squeeze?" Co-sponsored by the Jackson County Health Department and the local Planned Parenthood affiliate, the ads were purchased with about $10,000 in state family planning funds. About $2,000 of that money remains, Collins said. It will be used to run the one ad several more times, though not as frequently as before. Officials said the advertisements were created to encourage parents and children to discuss responsible sexuality and individual family values. In January, Oregon Planned Parenthood groups will hold a strategy session to discuss the agency`s "Rights, Respect and Responsibility" sexual health campaign. A statewide television ad campaign will be evaluated, said Kellie Shoemaker, a community outreach coordinator for the agency.