SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Gary Herbert defended his decision to recall a series of Utah-themed condoms from an HIV awareness campaign.

Speaking to reporters at his monthly news conference on PBS, the governor said everyone recognizes the importance of HIV awareness and AIDS prevention.

“As I read the sexual innuendos and the double entendres and kind of the crass messages on the packages, I thought ‘I don’t know that this is what we want to do as government,'” he said in response to a question from FOX 13.

“Government ought not to do something that many of the people think is offensive,” he continued.

The governor personally ordered the condoms pulled after the Utah Department of Health was launching an HIV awareness campaign. AIDS and HIV activists decried the move, saying it was a clever and effective way to reach people and encourage them to engage in safer sex practices. Read more via Fox News