Good Sex?

Can we have good sex?

Katie K investigates the environmental impact of our favourite pursuit...

Sadly this has not been much of a concern for me in the last few months (maybe why I am writing about it instead..) but do you guys need to worry about ethical sex?

Whilst discussing lifestyle changes with my friends the question of sex kept coming up - which says something worrying about the minds of my nearest and dearest but hey...

Anyhow - back to the sex - what do we need to consider?

Well, one thing that seems to cause concern in general is how this can lead to the accidental creation of small people – so contraception seemed like as good a place to start.

In doing a bit of online research I firstly came up against the pros and cons of the pill. Worldwide, about 100 million women take the contraceptive pill and in ecological terms this is a bit of a concern. The release of so many extra hormones into our water supply is often cited as one of the reason for sexless fish, hermaphroditic alligators and - more alarming for you men out there – lower sperm count*.

Yes, just as the Scottish are sneaking power back from the English by leading all of our political parties, the women are sneaking power back from men by - well – turning them into women.

Now obviously, 50% of the population might take umbrage at this, but then that would be the 50% who don't actually have to endure childbirth so what other options are there?

Having a quick look on the Vegan forum to see what solutions they might offer it was notable that while some of its members had decided they would try the rhythm method - due additionally to the fact that the pill has been tested on animals and contains animal by products - this did appear to have resulted in a couple of 'happy accidents'.

The other form of contraception noted as truely ethical was sterilization. Unfortunately, though, this is little use

to those who have not yet had children but still hope to one day take pleasure in causing severe embarrassment to off spring of their own.

So I had to look further… withdrawal is out as it still results in pregnancy 19% of the time which, considering pregnancy only occurs 20% of the time, isn’t great. Other, hormone based, contraception is out so no injections, patches or male pill (though would this counteract all those female hormones floating around I wonder..)

IUD’s (coils) for women, looked promising but there does appear to have been a number of ladies out there who have suffered from side effects. As did reports that men in Bosnia are getting electric shock treatment on their testicles to make them temporarily infertile. (Male friends have suggested that this cannot be ethical and declare it to be a form of torture – wimps!) but sadly this turned out to be widely disputed by some medical professionals.

See - more details on electrocuting your balls for the full story from the Science Politics blogspot.

Which left me with good old condoms (male or female).

Now, disease wise condoms are the obvious choice. In the first instance if you haven’t sat your new partner down and quizzed them on their sexual history (always worrying when this conversation lasts over 2 hours..) then they are the most sensible. However, in the long term the fact that many condoms are not biodegradable is a problem.

Although latex condoms are made from rubber trees they also contain vulcanizing (hardening) agents that make them difficult to break down. Condoms made of polyurethane, a plastic material, do not break down at all. Condoms aren’t often recycled (fair enough really - I certainly wouldn't envy anyone that job... ) and if they are flushed down toilets they often ruin an otherwise delightful paddling experience.

So it was all looking a bit hopeless - until I found that Condomi, a German company, create a biodegradable condom. This is also the condom advocated by Vegans and, in addition, Condomi itself has a program for better social development and access to contraceptives in poor areas. So there you go. Condomi might be the way forward. (They aren’t promoting this article but if anyone from Condomi is reading – all donations will be greatfully recieved!)

However, my abstinence, through choice or otherwise (ok ok it’s otherwise) has to be the most environmentally sound and uncomplicated of all. Which is why, henceforth, I shall declare my lack of action an ethical choice.

Anyhow – better go and prepare my dinner for one before starting on next weeks article (and further compounding my desperation) - 'Why just have good sex when you can have better sex...?'

Hope in the meantime you all have fun out there... lucky bugg*rs!

*As an aside point - any men concerned by their lowering sperm count and that Earthsave explain:

"the number of morphologically normal sperm (meaning sperm with a normal shape) produced by the average man has dropped below the level of those of a hamster."

may be intrigued to note that, in 1994, Belgium researchers found that Organic farmers had sperm counts twice as high as their counterparts. Best start cutting down on your pesticides boys!