Condoms can no longer be sold at any health centers run by the Tainan City Government’s Department of Health, the agency said, citing the low fertility rates for the policy change.
According to the department, the nation began providing contraceptives to families as early as 1995 as part of a population control campaign whose slogan was: “Two children is just right, but one would do just fine.”
Back then, the government was worried about families having too many children, but it is now worried about them having none, the department said.
Due to the decline of the birth rate and the increased number of channels to obtain contraceptives, the city government announced that it would cease selling condoms commissioned by the Planned Parenthood Association of Taiwan.
The association had been providing condoms for the centers to sell as part of the program, the department said, adding that the number of places to acquire the contraceptives was limited before convenience stores and drug stores became widespread.
The policy change has officially ended the era of cheap condoms in the city, where a dozen only cost NT$25, the department said.
The department warned the public to inspect condom packaging to ensure it has not been tampered with, adding that people should avoid falling for “the higher the price, the greater the quality” myth.
The department also encouraged the public to consult a pharmacist if a problem arises due to inferior products causing health problems.
When asked whether ending the program would affect HIV/AIDS prevention, Department of Health Director Lin Sheng-che (林聖哲) said that was a different issue.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
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