# Mandatory condom use on all porn films: not just a good idea, it's the law! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 13, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-condom-use-on-all-porn-films-not-just-a-good-idea-its-the-law/663411 "2013-07-13T18:04:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-condom-use-on-all-porn-films-not-just-a-good-idea-its-the-law/663411/61 "2013-07-14T12:37:47Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > In that case, beer commercials. You can see people doing all kinds of things during a beer commercial… except actually consuming the beer. Yeah, I don’t think that’s true either. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-condom-use-on-all-porn-films-not-just-a-good-idea-its-the-law/663411/62 "2013-07-14T15:25:14Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > The law makes sense to me. I’m a little surprised at this, given this is a clear case of a government entity mandating that private businesses require that their employees use contraceptives. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-condom-use-on-all-porn-films-not-just-a-good-idea-its-the-law/663411/63 "2013-07-14T17:49:01Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > I’m a little surprised at this, given this is a clear case of a government entity mandating that private businesses require that their employees use contraceptives. Ha! But seriously, I do think that an employer has a responsibility to protect the health and safety of his employees. But from what I know about the porn industry, they were already doing that. The industry was already successfully self regulating. Why was there a need for the government to step in? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-condom-use-on-all-porn-films-not-just-a-good-idea-its-the-law/663411/64 "2013-07-14T17:52:23Z")
Does this new law describe what kind of condoms must be used, and who is in charge of inspecting said condoms? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-condom-use-on-all-porn-films-not-just-a-good-idea-its-the-law/663411/65 "2013-07-14T17:54:35Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > No- receiving a transplanted organ is expensive. > It’s quite a challenge to live long enough afterwards to “pay back society”. That’s cynical, dude. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-condom-use-on-all-porn-films-not-just-a-good-idea-its-the-law/663411/66 "2013-07-14T18:46:30Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > That’s cynical, dude. No, cynical was an argument I recently heard an economist make on excise taxes. He’s generally in favor of them but he said the government should consider lowering the excise tax on cigarettes. His argument was that this would encourage more smoking and the revenue lost now due to reduced excise taxes would be made up for in the future by reduced social security and medicare payments. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-condom-use-on-all-porn-films-not-just-a-good-idea-its-the-law/663411/67 "2013-07-14T19:57:58Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are there any other cases where it is illegal to depict doing something on film that is legal to do in real life? Not that I know of, but at periods there have been instances of industry self-regulation like the [Hays Code,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hays_code) which among other “things which . . . shall not appear in pictures produced by the members of this Association, irrespective of the manner in which they are treated” ruled out portrayals of “Miscegenation (sex relationships between the white and black races).” (Come to think of it, though, that **was** illegal in many states at the time.) Also, “Ridicule of the clergy.” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-condom-use-on-all-porn-films-not-just-a-good-idea-its-the-law/663411/68 "2013-07-15T03:06:42Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Does this new law describe what kind of condoms must be used, and who is in charge of inspecting said condoms? [No (it just says “condoms”), and the LA County Department of Public Health.](http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/320996/condoms-in-porn-proposed-los-angeles-county.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-condom-use-on-all-porn-films-not-just-a-good-idea-its-the-law/663411/69 "2013-07-15T07:40:35Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > In that case, beer commercials. You can see people doing all kinds of things during a beer commercial… except actually consuming the beer. > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Yeah, I don’t think that’s true either. From what I’ve been able to find, it seems that there isn’t any law or regulation that prohibits it, but the alcohol industry has decided to not show people consuming alcohol in ads. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-condom-use-on-all-porn-films-not-just-a-good-idea-its-the-law/663411/70 "2013-07-15T12:08:49Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > That’s cynical, dude. Question was whether a situation saves money, not whether it’s moral or righteous. I’m relatively non-cynical as former hospital employees go. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandatory-condom-use-on-all-porn-films-not-just-a-good-idea-its-the-law/663411.md?page=3)