UN Official Criticises US AIDS Policy in Africa
This story is not new. It has been in action since it the beginning of The Administration. Early in their quest to end poverty and end AIDS in the most devastated continent in the world, Africa, The Administration decided to pursue these tasks with vehement moralism. And so, the fact that the UN is once again criticising the US' approach to AIDS relief and assistence in Uganda should not be surprising.
The US has reduced the assistance given to Uganda until their AIDS programs teach abstinence moralism in lieu of sexual health [ie: condom usage, the single most useful deterent to AIDS].
What makes this shocking is that the US is putting at risk a country whose AIDS programs to this point has been surprisingly successful: they are among a great minority of countries in Africa to actually turn around the rates of infection. The UN official claims that the US programs have led to a pronounced shortage of condoms in Uganda.
This policy of abstinence is dangerous because it is not realistic, and therefore not supple to the demands of humanity. It won't make meaningful change. In many places, it causes greater disruption and potentially exposes individuals to greater danger: In America, recent abstinent vowing teenagers were found to participate in oral sex as often and anal sex up to 4 times more often than non-vowing peers; the less they knew about sexual health, the more danger the put themselves in.
The AIDS pandemic needs responsible health care and education, as well as poverty reduction in order to ease the weight. Reasonable, cheap sexual health programs; access to AIDS medication that will not bankrupt a country; economic assistence and accountability. Moralising does little for anybody. It may save a soul, but it doesn't save the world.
The US has reduced the assistance given to Uganda until their AIDS programs teach abstinence moralism in lieu of sexual health [ie: condom usage, the single most useful deterent to AIDS].
What makes this shocking is that the US is putting at risk a country whose AIDS programs to this point has been surprisingly successful: they are among a great minority of countries in Africa to actually turn around the rates of infection. The UN official claims that the US programs have led to a pronounced shortage of condoms in Uganda.
This policy of abstinence is dangerous because it is not realistic, and therefore not supple to the demands of humanity. It won't make meaningful change. In many places, it causes greater disruption and potentially exposes individuals to greater danger: In America, recent abstinent vowing teenagers were found to participate in oral sex as often and anal sex up to 4 times more often than non-vowing peers; the less they knew about sexual health, the more danger the put themselves in.
The AIDS pandemic needs responsible health care and education, as well as poverty reduction in order to ease the weight. Reasonable, cheap sexual health programs; access to AIDS medication that will not bankrupt a country; economic assistence and accountability. Moralising does little for anybody. It may save a soul, but it doesn't save the world.
posted by General Stan at 11:41 PM
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