Title: Sexual Health in the Space Future
Fandom: Mass Effect
Content notes: Let's talk about sex.
Summary: Why don't they wear condoms in my stories.


This challenge gave me a reason to finally write down something I've been thinking I should, a disclaimer of sorts. But before I start, a Public service announcement:

No one but you can tell you when or how to have sex – you choose, you decide, and don't let anyone pressure you into doing anything before you are ready, but don't let them pressure you into not doing what you want, either.

It doesn't matter what you want to do and with who, as long as you all agree on what you are doing (and are capable of making those judgements: not too young, not too drunk, not too out of touch with reality). “Safe, sane, consensual” applies to all sex, really, not just BDSM. Just remember that others might define the words differently.

And until we reach the space future, if penises are involved, use a condom. They protect you against unwanted pregnancies as well as sexually transmitted diseases. It's a no-brainer. If you can't afford to buy any, there are clinics and campaigns that hand them out for free.

So, if you feel so strongly about this, why don't you write about them? Immersion. I write in a futuristic sci-fi setting. The Mass Effect games introduce a wide galaxy filled with technical breakthroughs and lots of changes compared to our own time (believability of some... would be a topic for another time). Genetic enhancements are the norm, and genetic “flaws” (like short-sightedness) can be fixed in the womb.

So I'm going to claim the humanity has transcended the use of cock socks. The models in use today are pretty much the same stuff as the 18th models made from animal intestines. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condom#History Enjoy.) Hard to use, easy to break, expensive and require education. (Still, these days, the pros beat the cons.)

So in my space future, the health of Alliance marines is constantly monitored by the ship's medical personnel (and in the case of the Normandy, probably also the ship), and as such, if they had an STD (if they even still exist) they would know it, and be treated for it.

Okay, how about pregnancy prevention, then? Contraceptive implants. I developed one for my Star Wars universe way back when, and just decided my Mass Effect universe comes equipped with something similar. Taking the Pill every damn day is not efficient. Surely they've come up with something more practical by then.

Is this all just a massive cop out because you don't like writing condoms? Maybe, but at least I thought about the ethics of what I'm writing, and came up with an explanation that I could use to justify it to myself. And now to you, dear reader.

Tl;dr: Use condoms when you have sex. The space future has better options, you don't.