Advocates for New York prostitutes want authorities to stop taking condoms as evidence in criminal cases, calling it unhealthy. They're lobbying for bills to make New York the first state to ban the practice.
The group says in a report Tuesday that two small surveys show fear of police confiscation and arrest has prompted some workers to carry fewer or no condoms. Some also are having sex without them, raising the risk of sexually transmitted diseases.
The 2010 and 2011 surveys of sex workers were conducted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and by the PROS Network, a coalition of workers and advocates.
City health officials say they've given out 192 million condoms since 2007, while the state distributes more than 10 million annually.
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