Pixies Place Forums - The condom is in the mail

Planned Parenthood sends prophylactics to 15,000 households

Joanne Laucius
The Ottawa Citizen

About 15,000 Canadian households will be getting a surprise in the mail.

Planned Parenthood, which promotes birth control and sexual health, has mailed 15,000 condoms to addresses across the country.

The condoms come in envelopes marked with the words "It's hard to buy a condom when your uncle owns the only pharmacy in town."

The campaign is what fundraisers call a "prospect mail," which means it is aimed at recipients who are possibly sympathetic to the goals of the group making the appeal.

The 15,000 recipient addresses were culled from lists of supporters of human rights and social justice organizations, said Planned Parenthood executive director Linda Capperauld.

And it is meant to be an attention grabber, she said.

"Part of our message is that we have to find a way to talk about our sexual health," said Ms. Capperauld.

The letters were sent out on Tuesday and as of yesterday afternoon she hadn't heard of any reaction, positive or negative.

But some would find the surprise insensitive and unwelcome.

"It's an offensive little gift to get at the door," said Mary Ellen Douglas, national organizer of Campaign Life Coalition, an anti-abortion group.

"I don't think they should be dropping it on people unrequested. To inflict this on the general public is very distasteful," she said.

But Ms. Capperauld says the mailing is aimed at replacing fear with facts.

"Getting a condom in the mail shouldn't be a shocking experience."