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The US Abstinence-only push worsens Africa's AIDS situation, says UN (pg. 2)
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| Lira |
| quote: | Originally posted by Lepanto
brazil |
...?!
What are you basing this assumption on? |
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| Michael19 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Lepanto As to answer to your question about the beach, in switzerland, austria, spain, to name a few you weren't allowed to wear a thong to the beach. something i enjoy daily here ;)
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Sure switzerland and austria wouldnt have a huge amount of beaches, being lan-locked.
abd i find it hard to believe spain doesnt allow thongs. COnsidering its such a big destination for tourists, i would be very surpised and have never heard that one before.
| quote: | | Originally posted by Lepanto would you rather the US spend even more money on help to Africa while everything else we and the UN spends makes no difference as it is? It's a very hard to solve problem, and throwing money or condoms at it isn't going to make it go away, dude. |
It will certainly help. Education is the most important thing though. But whats the point in teaching them to use a condom and why, if they dont have any around? |
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| metalgearsolid |
If spain didn't allow thongs on the beach than why would they allow for a majority of women to be topless? The most conservative Nation in the "West" would definatly be USA. I too have traveled a lot and I have seen more than just family. You are not in the Mob; are you? If you are than I take back all what I say if it offends you.
You said Brazil pharmicists refuse to sell condoms? Come on women in Brail while on the beach hardly wear any clothing. You really suspect me to believe that the pharmacists refuse to sell condoms. |
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| Lira |
| quote: | Originally posted by metalgearsolid
You said Brazil pharmicists refuse to sell condoms? Come on women in Brazil while on the beach hardly wear any clothing. You really suspect me to believe that the pharmacists refuse to sell condoms. |
x2... I'm quite curious to know what he's basing his opinion on, since we're one of the leading countries in the fight against HIV and there's a massive publicity campaign, funded by the government, supporting the use of condoms. I've never heard of pharmacists refusing to sell condoms around here, even because if they did refuse, they'd have problems with the law.
If anything, the problems would be price (although the government does distribute preservatives for free) and shame (we're not that much of a liberal society... I was myself blushing hardcore when I faced the pharmacist when I bought them for the first time).
Most likely, the situation in Argentina is similar. |
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| Lepanto |
the post was a rush post so not all of it made sense. point being was the russian article that was a counter post to the authors claim that condoms are so important. true in alot of those countries condoms are available in schools but what does that all mean? in the former USSR region AIDS is a HUGE epidemic. therefore condoms don't really mean jack . educating people is what matters the most. the problem we here in the US face is that teachers in schools and don't really talk about it untill high school health class.
i remmember in my health class (something u could only take as a senior) we were watching the movie KIDS which is quiet frighting but was already too late 90 percent of people. if they show this movie back in 7th grade no one would be ing till they are like 50.
the original post was pretty dumb seeing us how abstinence would be the only thing outside of education, something that's very hard to come by in Africa, to stop the spread of AIDS.
Dioclytian in the Roman Empire (during the terrible cenutry of plague and famine) froze the empire in it's place because he figured if everything they tried didn't work or made things worse they should leave it the way it is. this applies to Africa because if most of the we try doesn't do too much how about just stoping the problem, aka abstinance. not the best idea but that should definatly be on the agenda since condom use isn't too popular over there.
when i first heard about this i laughed too but if there's no other alternative what do you want politicians and aid programs to propose? |
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| St_Andrew |
| quote: | Originally posted by Lepanto
yeah i'm sure you have, fool, that's why we're "uptight":stongue: |
Someone who's saying america is not uptight obviously has no clue what he's talking about. No need to argue ;) |
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| Lepanto |
| quote: | Originally posted by St_Andrew
Someone who's saying america is not uptight obviously has no clue what he's talking about. I know I make no sense :) |
there we go. |
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| St_Andrew |
| quote: | Originally posted by Lepanto
there we go. |
Seriously.
Only in N. America they censor nakedness on TV, cause you cant show that to children...
Only in N. America ppl get offended if someone has too litle clothes on them...
Only in N. America the majority of the parents think teenage sex should be avoided...
Only in N. America teenagers have to keep their sexlife a secret for their parents...
Only in N. America they promote abstinence only as a way of preventing aids...
Only in N. America they censor swearwords on TV...
Only in N. America you are not allowed to be nude on public beaches...
Etc.
America is cool, but to say it's not uptight is nuts!
Disclaimer: I do realise I'm generalizing here and I really don't know about all European countries but I think this is the general case. Also when I say Only in N. America I mean only in the western world, obviously there are many countries that are as bad but just not as developed/totally different culture. |
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| metalgearsolid |
| quote: | Originally posted by St_Andrew
Seriously.
Only in N. America they censor nakedness on TV, cause you cant show that to children...
Only in N. America ppl get offended if someone has too litle clothes on them...
Only in N. America the majority of the parents think teenage sex should be avoided...
Only in N. America teenagers have to keep their sexlife a secret for their parents...
Only in N. America they promote abstinence only as a way of preventing aids...
Only in N. America they censor swearwords on TV...
Only in N. America you are not allowed to be nude on public beaches...
Etc.
America is cool, but to say it's not uptight is nuts!
Disclaimer: I do realise I'm generalizing here and I really don't know about all European countries but I think this is the general case. Also when I say Only in N. America I mean only in the western world, obviously there are many countries that are as bad but just not as developed/totally different culture. |
See the biggest problem in America is that there are certain groups out there who feel they know all the answers that other countries are facing. When it comes to sex don't have it and than the parents and government believe that if they don't talk about sex with thier kids they won't do it. Same with drugs and has the drug war really succeeded here in the US? I don't think so drug trafficking is a $400Billion dollar business with well over a $100billion being brought or grown in the US. So back on to what I am trying to say.
People in America make others comform so there really is no diveristy and celebrating diversity is a joke when the majority of the people think the same. So wait that didn't really answer the question or what I was trying to say. People in America believe they know how to live and thats not by letting others be different or themselves. |
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| Lepanto |
| America doen't make other people think differntly or whatever. They influence them sure and teach them the system of gov't and society that works for them. No one thinks that it's the best but it works fine here, look at what the country accomplished so it could work for others. It really depends on the people, some countries would love our kind of gov't and all but someone would kill not to have it. it kinda all comes down to being a lesson in anthropology. |
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| Fir3start3r |
| quote: | Originally posted by HardTranceProd
An inane and retared policy formulated by Christian nuts in this country could only be viable here in the US, which is a rather uptight part of the world. But in the UN, where this push for abstinence only to fight AIDS came under international spotlight, America is now seen as a laughingstock:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9118071/
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - The U.S. government’s emphasis on abstinence-only programs to prevent AIDS is hobbling Africa’s battle against the pandemic by downplaying the role of condoms, a senior U.N. official said on Monday.
Stephen Lewis, the U.N. secretary general’s special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, said fundamentalist Christian ideology was driving Washington’s AIDS assistance program known as PEPFAR with disastrous results, including condom shortages in Uganda.
The Bush administration favors prevention programs that focus on abstinence rather than condom use and has more than doubled funding for U.S. abstinence-only programs over the past five years.
As part of President Bush’s global AIDS plan, the U.S. government has already budgeted about $8 million this year for abstinence-only projects in Uganda, human rights groups say.
Severe shortage of condoms
Activists in both Uganda and the United States say the country is now in the grip of condom shortage so severe that men are using plastic garbage bags in an effort to protect themselves.
“There is no question in my mind that the condom crisis in Uganda is being driven and exacerbated by PEPFAR and by the extreme policies that the administration in the U.S. is now pursuing in the emphasis on abstinence,” Lewis told journalists on a teleconference.
“That distortion of the preventive apparatus ... is resulting in great damage and undoubtedly will cause significant numbers of infections which should never have occurred.”
Many health experts say condoms are the most effective bulwark against AIDS.
The Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator which administers PEPFAR did not immediately return calls seeking comment. It has rejected criticism over condom policy in the past, saying it maintains a balanced approach to prevention.
Uganda had been praised for cutting HIV infection rates to around 6 percent today from 30 percent in the early 1990s, a rare success story in Africa’s battle against the disease.
But President Yoweri Museveni’s government has come under criticism for sidelining its condom policy, a move activists tie to pressure from Washington through its PEPFAR program.
The Ugandan government, which in 2004 recalled free condoms over quality fears, has failed to provide alternatives — pushing the price of store-bought condoms up threefold, Ugandan activist Beatrice.
“What PEPFAR has done is to have made it possible for a number of Pentacostal and more fundamentalist churches to pursue the abstinence agenda,” he said.
“I think the administration and PEPFAR have to come to their senses ... to impose dogmatic policies is doing great damage to Africa.” |
What pucky.
As if the United States are the only country on this planet that makes condoms... :rolleyes:
What? Because they didn't give condoms to people that can't keep their weiner in their pants, it's the States fault??
Sounds like a typical, let's blame someone else for our problems, liberal, left-wing cry... 
If they were half-way serious they'd find another source instead of jumping up and down, crying like a little girl who didn't get their way.
Instead of wasting energy, screaming foul, spend that time finding a work-around.
Nothing worse than a world full of whiners....sheesh...
/rant :p |
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| Chris Larkin |
Fir3start3r, please read the article.
Uganda is not facing a shortage because the US is refusing to give or sell condoms to it, but because it has been recieving diplomatic pressure from the USA to stop with it's condom program, and pursue abstinence programs instead. For some reason, it is doing this, perhaps because it fears it may lose aid if it doesn't comply. |
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