Would you want the state of Florida to know how many sexual partners you had in the last year?
That’s just one of the intimate questions some 4,000 Florida women between the ages of 18 and 24 have been wrestling with, according to TBO.com.
Here’s the why: The state Department of Health sent out an estimated 4,000 surveys to women asking them for insights into their sexual lives to help it gain a better handle on the need for services and how to target women who might need programming.
Here’s the problem, according to TBO: The questions are too personal and some women are offended. (The surveys were sent out in September and October, but none were mailed in November because it was discovered that some were sent to girls under 18, but that’s another story.)
Some of the questions asked women include asking:
- If a man has ever poked holes into a condom to get them pregnant
- How old they were when they had sex for the first time
- If they are depressed
- If they smoke
- How much they weigh
- If they feel forced to have sex or threatened to get pregnant
Less than 800 surveys have been returned, according to TBO. Those who have returned their surveys are eligible for a $10 CVS gift card in exchange for their troubles.
The state spent about $45,000 on the project. Women who received the survey, by the way, were under no obligation to fill it out if they didn’t want to.
Here’s what we want to know from you Tampa Bay: Is this a good use of taxpayer dollars? Does the state need this information to properly plan services? Are the questions appropriate? Do they go too far? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
