A recent article published by Reuters news service states that the Catholic Church’s opposition to the use of condoms is contributing to the spread of AIDS in Latin America. Let’s take a look at the holes in the argument, shall we?
First, there is no empirical evidence offered that the Church is responsible for this. All that is presented is that the Church opposes the use of contraception, which is true. What is also mentioned, but given no credence, is that the Church also opposes sex outside of marriage.
So we should draw the conclusion that the Latin American people follow the Church’s teaching to the letter when it comes to contraception, yet ignore the teachings against fornication? It seems to me that the decision to fornicate comes first, then the decision whether or not to use a condom. So the Church is not in their thinking for the first decision, but then, between deciding to do the deed and actually doing it, they stop to ask “what would Jesus do”? And don’t go back to revisit the first decision? The argument makes no logical sense.
Second, a UN official is quoted as saying:
“In Latin America the use of condoms has been demonized, but if they were used in every relation I guarantee the epidemic would be resolved in the region.”
This is the lie that spreads the use of condoms around the world. The latex in a condom is dense enough generally to stop sperm from passing through it. It is NOT, however, dense enough to prevent the AIDS virus from passing through, rendering it useless in preventing the spread of AIDS.
A 2004 study titled Condom Promotion for AIDS Prevention in the Developing World: Is It Working? (Studies in Family Planning 2004; 35[1]: 39–47) found that:
“In many sub-Saharan African countries, high HIV transmission rates have continued despite high rates of condom use.” In fact, they continued, “No clear examples have emerged yet of a country that has turned back a generalized epidemic primarily by means of condom distribution.”No surprise, then, that Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and South Africa — the nations with the highest levels of condom availability — continue to have the highest rates of HIV prevalence (“The White House Initiative to Combat AIDS: Learning from Uganda,” Joseph Loconte, Executive Summary Backgrounder).
This article also mentions an example of AIDS declining in Uganda:
Uganda at one time had the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. Starting in the mid to late 1980s, their government instituted a program to teach abstinence before marriage and fidelity to one’s partner afterwards. They only reluctantly advised condoms for high risk groups (like prostitutes) whom they knew would not accept the other two approaches.[snip]
In 1991, the prevalence rate of HIV was 15%. By 2001, it had dropped to 5%. It was the biggest HIV infection reduction in world history.
When you read these kinds of articles, do so with a critical eye. The UN and the mainstream media are no friends of the Catholic Church. But Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And the Truth will set you free.
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Yeah, right. Find me one person who died of AIDS because he followed the teachings of the Catholic faith.This makes me crazy every time I hear it.Last year, it was Elton John blaming the death of Freddy Mercury on the Catholic Church.
Lemme see, if the Catholic Church teaches that sex outside of marriage and aberrant sex is sinful in the eyes of God how does that contribute to the spread of AIDS? And why would someone who goes against those particular teachings draw the line at using a condom?Seems if more people followed the teachings of the Church the AIDS problem would diminish!
I would be curious to know how well documented these cases of HIV in fact are. Some have suggested – and I am prone to believe it – that many (but not all) of the "AIDS" cases in Africa are not HIV/AIDS at all, but the same old diseases that have plagued some of those nations for years: malaria, dyptheria, dissentary… Many times assumptions are made about the cause of death when no diagnostic tests were run. In other cases, these countries and health orgs know what is smart: AIDS = funding. Malaria? Not so much.Why is that?It is also amazingly unpopular to say and I am careful where I do so, but the much propogated myth of widespread heterosexual AIDS spread by normal vaginal intercourse has been disproven in a number of studies but the press persists in chanting it…(In some instances in some African cultures – forgive me for putting this so plainly – the unnatural sex practicesup to and including inserting stones into the vagina to create "friction" assures two things: greater levels of transmission, greater failure for condoms…)Chances are mighty good that if in fact there is a widespread outbreak of HIV in Latin America, that much of the new infections in the self-identifying heterosexual community would be among drug users sharing dirty needles or who have become so immuno-comprimised otherwise from the ravishes of drug use and disease that they actually are suseptable. In either case, all the truckloads of condoms in all the world would not make their needles clean or their sexual choices smarter. But it is pretty ludicrous to suggest pious practicioners of male to male anal sex (NOT PC to say, but I daresay still the most common means of transmission sexually) are not using condoms because the Church told them it was wrong to use condoms when doing so…
I have some links to reports in various Medical journals and UN reports showing how their philosophies are being proven wrong by the results. There is also a copy of a witty parody by an American Catholic writer.
i hate to say it but these posts are a bit delusional. the catholic church is very powerful in many parts of latin america and they have conrol over a variety of social issues including the distribution, or lack thereof, of condoms. however, as has beeen proved time and time again, they do not have control over personal choices- if people want to have sex, they will have sex, with our without the catholic church. however, with the catholic church's uncompromising attitude towards condoms, they will be having unprotected sex. congratulations.also, in the united states (for example), the HIV infection rates are highest amongst straight women. now you could argue (and i'm sure you will) that they are all drug users who use dirty needles, but i think a far simpler explanation is in fact accurate- most people dont get HIV from what you call "sinful" or "immoral" behaviors. they get it from heterosexual, unprotected sex.
Simply delusional of you Anuskha. If most people were getting HIV/AIDS from vaginal sex, it would have been the straight community that got hit hardest and there would be tens of millions more cases and deaths by now.Little secret? There are a lot more heterosexuals out there (let's compirmise and say 95%)… By the raw numbers, more heterosexuals mean more unprotected heterosexual sex. (Let's face it, there must be quite a bit, 1.4M abortions last year – how many are from broken condoms?)Anushka, I would love to see your statistics to back up these arguments. It seems to conflict with what I see available, namely "In 2005, the estimated number of diagnoses of AIDS in the United States and dependent areas was 41,897. Of these, 40,608 were in the 50 states and District of Columbia and 982 were in the dependent areas. In the 50 states and District of Columbia, adult and adolescent AIDS cases totaled 40,540 with 29,766 cases in males and 10,774 cases in females, and 68 cases estimated in children under age 13." http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/basic.htm#hivestI have every good reason to suspect that among the 10K female cases one of three things things will be found to be common: drug use, prostitution and a previously existing STDs that have comprimised the immunity or have left these women more suseptable due to lesions & sores (i.e. herpes).All the condoms in all the world would likely not slow this down. And condoms are becoming more widelys available everywhere anyway…(Funny thing about religous strictures, what people really want, they go out and get. Somalia during the famine comes to mind. During the height of the Somali famine crisis, khat – which was mostly imported from Kenya by air – was still being flown in at a rate of 20 tons worth US$800,000, DAILY. Khat is basically a drug, and it violates the precepts of Islam – which is the predom religion of the area. Religious sensibilities be damned, what they really wanted, they really got, even when food was not available.)And a small BIG point… "Immoral behavior" in Catholic thought includes extra-marital sex.After 20 years I am rather cynical about AIDS activism and the "safe sex crew" It seems to be mostly a three part plan:1) Ignore how the disease is being really spread2) Give up your Catholic Faith's teaching on sex, sexuality, and the genitive nature of the marital act3) Accept and abide by whatever they tell you to do to stop the "epidemic" but don't demand proof it is working.
I am ashamed to be a Catholic after reading the comments in here. I have just watched sport relief, and if you cannot see how the Churches teachings have ruined whole communities, then you are just like the rest of the Catholics who turn a blind eye or have selected memory re all the priests who still are out there hiding there dark secrets re paedophillia. Then we go to confession and all is well!
Anonymous – what does the scandal caused by a tiny fraction of priests have to do with the veracity of Church teaching? What does it have to do with the spread of AIDS? Are you making the idiotic contention that priests have AIDS and are the direct cause of the spread of AIDS in Latin America? Or are you looking for an te excuse to ignore the valid teachings of the Church? The Church is both the Bride of Christ (indeed his very body) AND a group of sinners. Do not let the failings of humans keep you from the divine truth."No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother" – St. Cyprian of Carthage.
I was so confused about what to buy, but this makes it udnertsnaadble.