GainesvilleMoms.com

I really could not even believe this article I found on msnbc.com. Now, when people discover they have an STD, they can e-mail postcards to all their previous partners to let them know they have been exposed. To read the full article, click here.

This is what one postcard looks like:

“Who? What? When? Where? It doesn’t matter. I got an STD; you might have it too. Please get checked out.”

After the initial shock of how sad and crazy this whole thing is, I started thinking. Is it a good or bad idea? Should people be able to take sex and STDs so lightly that a quirky little postcard is acceptable? Or is it good that people are notifying their previous partners, even if the delivery method is pretty odd?

Another drawback of the postcards is the lack of face-to-face communication. People aren't actually talking about the effects of sex. And in San Francisco, for example, a person who finds out he/she has been exposed to chlamydia can click to download a prescription without visiting the doctor.

What do you think about this?

I think the idea of the e-post card is rather strange but think about how many people go around and say nothing about something they have or have had, most don't want to go up to someone and say, "I have an STD, you should get check to." It's embarrassing and they probably don't know how the other person will react. Strange, but maybe more people will know and get checked and the amount of people who get these will be reduced greatly just because of an e-mail!

On the other hand, being able to download a prescription? I don't think so! You don't know what you have until you get tested so you could be treating the wrong thing and could make the other worse. I can't even call the doctor to get cough medicine without having to come in and be checked! I'm just glad that I have never had to deal with any of these things in my life.

How nice.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue
Your PC might have a bug
And so might you

There's a message for you! I guess getting some sort of notice is better than not knowing at all, but I truly doubt it will be effective. How many of you would open an email saying "you've got an STD" - plus there is a virus being sent around via postacrd notices (and I did check snopes.com on this one) so I don't really see this being a great idea.

Downloading a prescription when you don't know what you have is just plain stupid. Then again, there are a lot of stupid people out there and unfortunately there is no real cure for that! People wonder why we are seeing "super bugs" and overloading your body with antibiotics is one contributor to that. Just irresponsible. Being exposed to a disease does not guarantee you caught it.

What is this world coming to??

On the one hand, I think a phone call or face to face interaction is definitely more personal. However, I have to believe that letting someone know they may have an STD is better than letting them continue going around and spreading it to others.

If I understood correctly, these can be sent annonymously. I think that there would be a lot of people not comfortable enough to speak about this in person that would be ok with sending a post card. Sounds a bit tacky, but better than nothing I suppose.

I agree with Ke'smommy regarding the prescriptions. You should have to see a Dr. in order to receive a prescription.

Wow. This is strange for sure. Maybe the lack of face to face will make it eaiser for people to tell their partners...Still weird