TI   "Condom Ads"
 SO   Associated Press (12/30/93)
 AB   Boston--A judge in Massachusetts ruled on Tuesday that condom
      advertisements that feature wrapped condoms may appear unchanged on
      Boston's public transit systems.  U.S. District Judge Rya Zobel said
      that subways and trolleys are public forums, and that the
      Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority violated the First
      Amendment when it banned or demanded modifications of the anti-AIDS
      ads.  The agency contended that the messages would find rapt
      audiences in riders, among them young children who would be exposed
      to "indecent sexual images." The visual representations of the ads
      are accompanied by such written messages as "One of these will make
      you 1-1,000th of an inch larger" and "Even if you don't have one,
      carry one."  MBTA Deputy General Manager James E. Rooney said that
      his agency may decide to appeal.  "Whatever the decision is, it
      hasn't deterred us from our desire to maintain the MBTA as a G-rated
      transit system," he said.  Larry Kessler, executive director of the
      AIDS Action Committee--which proposed the ads--said Judge Zobel's
      ruling "removes yet another barrier erected by government officials
      more concerned about public relations than about public health."

      Copyright (c) 1993 - Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD.  This
      information is provided by the Centers for Disease Control &
      Prevention (CDC), National AIDS Clearinghouse as a public service. 
      Non-profit reproduction is encouraged.

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