EXCUSE: “You’re on the pill. We don’t need a condom.”

ANSWER: “The pill doesn’t provide any protection against STIs that we might not even know we have.”

EXCUSE: “I can’t feel a thing when I wear one.”

ANSWER: “With all of the new features, some new condoms can actually make sex feel better for both of us. Plus, we can relax because we won’t be worried about STIs, or pregnancy, if we use a latex condom.”

EXCUSE: “I don’t have a condom with me.”

ANSWER: “I do”; or “Then let’s not take the risk”; or “Let’s go buy some and try out the different styles.”

EXCUSE: “It’s embarrassing to buy, and carry, condoms.”

ANSWER: “It’s a lot more embarrassing to get or pass on an STI, and if we’re too embarrassed to deal with condoms, then we’re probably not ready to deal with sex anyway.”

EXCUSE: It’s up to him/her. It’s his/her decision.

ANSWER: The issue is about your health for both of you. It’s both your futures. It’s both your bodies. It’s both your decisions. Protect yourself.

EXCUSE: “I’ll lose my erection by the time I stop to put the condom on.”

ANSWER: “I’ll help you put it on–that’ll help you keep it.”

EXCUSE: “You carry a condom around with you”?

ANSWER: “I always carry a condom, because I care about myself. I have one tonight, because I care about us both.”

EXCUSE: “We’ve already done it without one.”

ANSWER: Right — and that was a mistake. Let’s be smart and not repeat it.

EXCUSE: I’m afraid to ask him to use a condom.

ANSWER: If you can’t ask him, you probably don’t trust him.

EXCUSE: He’ll think I don’t trust him.

ANSWER: Be smart. You have a long life ahead of you.

EXCUSE: “Just this once?”

ANSWER: “Once is all it takes to get an STI or get pregnant.”