Here's something you probably don't know about the city of St. Louis - it's illegal to distribute or sell condoms unless you're a doctor or a pharmacist.

A law passed in 1934 says so.

But Alderman Shane Cohn says it's time for the city code to reflect reality. He introduced a measure today that reads, in its entirety:

1 BOARD BILL NO. 93 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN SHANE COHN 2 An Ordinance to repeal Ordinance 40429, approved December 14, 1934, relating 3 to the regulation and restriction of prophylactics. 4 BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS AS FOLLOWS: 5 SECTION ONE. Ordinance 40429, approved December 14, 1934,is hereby 6 repealed.

As Cohn put it, "even our own health department is in violation of this law" because it frequently distributes condoms. And to top it all off, a federal court declared the law unconstitutional in 1980.

So, what's the next step for Cohn's proposal to change the law? There's still quite a few steps left before the bill gets to Mayor Francis Slay's desk. First is a yet-to-be-scheduled committee hearing.

Follow Rachel Lippmann on Twitter: @rlippmann



