'Safe Porn' Condom Measure Now on Nov. Ballot

Voters in Los Angeles County will have their say on porn condom usage in the upcoming November ballot.

It's hard to believe that the average person cares about this issue. Yet the AIDS Healthcare Foundation was able to secure enough votes to qualify the measure for the ballot.

Proponents for porn condom usage says that it will protect porn stars from AIDS, reports the Los Angeles Times. Opponents of the measure say let porn stars choose to practice safe sex or not.

The measure needed 232,000 signatures to get on the ballot. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation was able to secure 371,000 names. The overwhelming support may be an indicator for the fate of unprotected sex in the porn industry. An informal poll already shows that 63% of voters will approve the measure in November, reports the Times.

If the measure is passed, adult film producers will be required to pay a fee and obtain a permit from the county Department of Health. Actors will then be required to use condoms for all acts of anal and vaginal sex. If film producers violate the condom requirement, they could get their license revoked. In addition, it's possible that they could face criminal charges, reports the Times.

The adult film lobby group called the Free Speech Coalition is opposing the measure calling it "government overreach." They may have a point if the condom requirement reached into the privacy of the bedroom. However, because porn ultimately affects a product in commerce, the government may have free reign to regulate.

On the local level, cities and counties generally have the right to regulate the health, welfare, and safety of its constituents. It's arguable that commercial display of unprotected sex may set a bad example to teens that condoms are not necessary. So for the welfare of the people, Los Angeles County probably is not overstepping its bounds with a porn condom requirement. Depending upon the results of the November ballot, the porn industry has threatened to uproot making New Hampshire a possible destination. Could we be seeing a lot more porn set in the snow? We'll see.

Related Resources:

• 'Safe Porn' Ballot Measure Could Change The Adult Film Industry (Fox News)
• Measure requiring condoms in porn gains enough signatures for November ballot in Los Angeles County (CBS)
• Porn Condom Rule: LA to Require XXX Films to Use Condoms (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
• Will Condoms in Porn Initiative Interfere with OSHA Compliance? (FindLaw)