That headline graced the covers of many newspapers today.
For the first time the Pope directly addressed the controversial issue which has divided much of the Catholic church. "You can't resolve it (aids) with the distribution of condoms," the Pope told reporters aboard his plane to Yaounde, Cameroon. "On the contrary, it increases the problem."(CBC NEWS)
The church officially promotes fidelity, chastity and abstinence in the fight against the aids crisis in Africa, however, health workers (including some from the church) promote condoms as an essential elements in the prevention and protection of sexually transmitted diseases.
Beyond the questions of basic protection an interesting question is raised - should the fight against aids be focused on the stalling the spreading of the disease (condom & abstinence) or is the education of the population and the availability of drugs where emphasis should be focused?
What do you think?
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Wow ... not using the kid gloves here eh?
ReplyDeleteHere's the twist ... in either promoting abstinence or the availability of drugs ... you need to reach out to the populace ... you need to educate ... it won't matter WHAT the message is unless you've got a solid plan to reach out and teach people ...
So ... who has the resources to setup that kinda of an infrastructure? Either private businesses ... who most likely won't see any kind of a return on their investment ... or the church ... who can send missionaries in there and their reward is their eternal salvation ... so which message do you think is going to get broadcast?
I question if abstinence is a realistic option for many poor African women and perhaps some men as well. I can't imagine a woman living in a small village saying " no thanks, I am now abstinant because the Church told me so" and people around her accepting this option. A more effective way to prevent disease is to hand out condoms with the words, "if you don't use these you will die of aids like so many before you". This way Africans can use condoms and they have a chance of not getting sick. Abstinance is still possible if society and many other factors in Africa allows it.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with handing out condoms with any kind of verbage is the people who really need them typically can't read themselves...
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