Abstinence Bush Admin's Answer to AIDS

[KrazyHorse]

And my point is that it's necessary to understand the horror of the disease so that you don't fall into the trap of pushing a moral agenda at the cost of what would be most effective at reducing transmission rates.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Combat Ingrid
Don't be so hard on him, he's just a child

There's an old English saying- children should be seen and not heard.

He'd do well to profit from it, before venturing into the grown up world where people who have watched a close friend die by degrees don't take well to adolescent posturing.


Translated into Park Avenue speech, that translates into a desire to push someone's face in.

[David Floyd]

Agathon,

What kind of idiot believes that all Thais and Africans should stop having sex?

I never said that - just that they should stop having sex with anyone but their spouse. And no, that wouldn't completely stop AIDs, but it's damn well curb the epidemic.

St. Leo,

The kind of "idiot" that can't move to a different country just to have sex.

That's funny - since when is sex a prerequisite for living? In fact, in this case, it seems quite the opposite. If my choices were celibacy and AIDs, I think I'd probably have to go with celibacy.

KH,

Tell that to a 14 year-old Thai hooker dying of AIDS because there weren't enough condoms to go around due to money being spent on a Catholic priest who told her to just say no to premarital sex.

Well, if she listened to the priest she might not have AIDs to begin with

And it's not like priests telling you to say no to premarital sex is anything new, either.

[KrazyHorse]

No, but the US paying money for them to do so is.

[KrazyHorse]

Well, if she listened to the priest she might not have AIDs to begin with

No, but her pimp would have beat her to death.

[Kuciwalker]

Wait, because there isn't any particular rule of law there... we have to give them free condoms?

EDIT: type

[KrazyHorse]

How about: because it would save lives we should give them free condoms?

[KrazyHorse]

And most especially we shouldn't waste what money we are willing to spend on programs which are more about pushing a moral agenda than they are about public health.

[KrazyHorse]

And most especially we shouldn't waste what money we are willing to spend on programs which are more about pushing a moral agenda than they are about public health.

[David Floyd]

KH,

No, but the US paying money for them to do so is.

I quite agree - we shouldn't be giving them money at all.

No, but her pimp would have beat her to death.

Well, then she's stuck between two equally poor choices. Nations like the US don't exist to make life easier for others, though, and I don't exist to help others. If I want to, that's fine, but I have no obligation.

[David Floyd]

How about: because it would save lives we should give them free condoms?

That's rather like giving welfare to a poor person - it isn't a real solution to the problem of AIDs anymore than welfare is a solution to poverty. The solution to AIDs is for people to be sexually responsible, in that they limit the number of sexual partners they are with. At the same time, if they want to use condoms, that's fine if they can afford them, but if they are being responsible to begin with it isn't as big of an issue. But the simple act of using a condom doesn't really make one sexually responsible.

[KrazyHorse]

And out comes the Libertarian nutjob. Nice to see you again, Dave.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by David Floyd
Actually, abstinence IS a proven 100% effective strategy to avoid catching an STD.

Absolutely.

So is cutting your own head off.

[David Floyd]

KH,

And out comes the Libertarian nutjob. Nice to see you again, Dave.

I'm not sure what Libertarianism has to do with abstinence education vs. handing out condoms. One is proven to be more effective than the other, if practiced, in stopping AIDs, and that's abstinence. The problem is getting people to do it - but the simple fact is, if people have a solution in front of them, and they ignore it, then it's their responsibility.

UR,

Absolutely.

So is cutting your own head off.

That's a pretty ****ing stupid comparison - if you cut your head off, you die. If you decide not to have sex in order to avoid AIDs, not only do you live, but you are deciding not to kill yourself. If sex is more important to someone than their life, then I'd say their priorities are misplaced.

[Urban Ranger]

Floyd,

Just because a method is 100% effective does not mean it should be the one you use.