25,000 Endangered Species Condoms to Be Given Away for Earth Day

Earth Day may get people thinking about recycling, cutting back on driving or getting out into nature, but the Center for Biological Diversity is also asking them to think about saving the planet through safe sex. The Center is distributing 25,000 free Endangered Species Condoms nationwide for Earth Day to highlight the connection between reproductive rights and the wildlife extinction crisis.

The condoms will be given away by 300 volunteers at Earth Day events, rallies, and on college campuses in 46 states.

With human population continuing to grow at a rate of about 227,000 people per day, driving habitat loss and competition for natural resources, ensuring that people only have children if and when they're ready is a critical part of protecting wildlife. But the United States has the highest fertility rate of any industrialized nation, and nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended.

"The real heart of the issue is that Americans, women especially, don't have access to contraception or family planning tools they want or need to make decisions about their reproductive futures. While the rate of unintended pregnancy has recently dropped in the United States, it's still incredibly high," said Leigh Moyer, the Center's population organizer. "Right now it seems like lawmakers are doing everything they can to restrict reproductive healthcare. If we want to have healthy human -- and wildlife -- families we need to protect and expand access to reproductive healthcare for everyone."

The United States scored a D+ overall on reproductive rights, according to the Population Institute's 2015 Reproductive Health and Rights Report Card. And that's down from a C last year, due to an "extremely hostile" atmosphere around reproductive health and rights, a teen pregnancy rate higher than any other developed country, and a wave of funding cuts and restrictive policies.

The Center's Endangered Species Condoms were created to raise awareness about the effect of rampant human population growth on wildlife species and are wrapped in colorful packages featuring six different endangered species and information about the impact of runaway human population growth on polar bears, monarch butterflies and other imperiled wildlife. The Center has given away 650,000 of the free condoms since 2009.

The Center is also launching a new video series on YouTube and Facebook where staff will have frank discussions about how most environmental catastrophes, including the extinction crisis are driven by human population growth and overconsumption. Conversational and educational videos will help show viewers how they can take action to help turn the tide, including practicing safe sex and supporting reproductive rights. New videos will be posted monthly.

The Center's population and sustainability program uses creative media to promote a range of common-sense solutions like access to family planning and reproductive health services, as well as education, opportunity and equal rights for women and girls.