When members of the Italian Parliament checked their letter boxes last week, each one found among the usual mail a packet of condoms.
The discovery caused some consternation among the 600 newly elected legislators.
”No one was sure whether this was a bad joke or if some thoughtful soul wanted us protected against any of our colleagues,” said one left-wing parliamentarian.
The mystery was solved when the Italian League for the Fight Against AIDS admitted it had sent the gift to each lawmaker as a symbolic gesture.
”The mailing of condoms was not a banal provocation but a way to call Parliament`s attention to the main instrument for AIDS prevention,” said Vittorio Agnoletto, head of the group.
By midweek the trash cans of Parliament were spilling over with the discarded gift packets–unopened.
