** Please visit our website: http://www.africanassociation.org **

Thanks for your message, Lucy.  As you say this is a
complex issue and just pontificating on one side is
simply dangerous.  I wonder if folks even read the
entire article or are merely reacting to the subject
or title.

The truth is condoms works.  Abstinence works too.
But for the President and First Lady of Uganda to
suddenly become "born again Christians" and decide
that condoms are no longer good, is simply dangerous.
What of the millions of Ugandans who disagree with
them.

Meanwhile, the religious right in this country is
backing this christian agenda via the purse strings,
that only abstinence rules, is also simply dangerous.

I just hope we continue to do what is right by science
and common sense.

Thanks.

--- Lucy Mkandawire <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi Vera
>
> While some of the issues you raise are important to
> consider, I think it's
> also important to take into account what Joe (I
> think it was) said about
> those who do not necessarily have a choice in sexual
> matters. You're
> speaking of sex as though everyone is able to make
> decisions as to when and
> with whom they have sex with on every sexual
> encounter. You mention sex
> workers and girls and women. On the African
> continent, particularly in
> Southern Africa there are some concerns about how
> much control women and
> girls have over their own bodies. For girls, even
> very young girl children
> there is the issue of forced sex - in such cases,
> condoms perhaps is not
> the issue to be discussed as in such cases, condoms
> are not even part of
> the picture. But when it comes to married women who
> are aware of their
> husbands promiscuity condoms is certainly something
> we have to talk about.
> And the same applies to sex workers who often find
> themselves in such
> circumstances because of various factors beyond
> their control such as
> poverty. The problem of HIV/AIDS in Africa is very
> complex - if it were not
> we would have rid ourselves of AIDS by now. So I
> think to boil it down to
> resulting from "uncontrolled heterosexual activity"
> and "indiscriminate
> sex" is to ignore the complex elements that
> contribute to its spread.
>
> That is my two tambalas worth....
>
> Lucy
>
>
> At 12:20 PM 9/8/2005, you wrote:
> >** Please visit our website:
> http://www.africanassociation.org **
> >
> >Excuse me.  When we taught our children not to have
> sex until they were
> >married, we didn't have 8 year olds with chlamydia,
> gonorrhea, and STDs in
> >their mouths.  Now, we do.  You may call me closed
> minded and righteous;
> >go ahead.  Without a clearly defined goal in mind,
> the message, any
> >message is lost and will fall on deaf ears.  Now,
> what do we want to
> >happen?  We want to stop the spread of AIDS.  In
> Africa, AIDS is spread
> >primarily by uncontrolled (yes, I said it, it's
> true!!) heterosexual
> >activity.  People must get control of themselves
> and their sexual organs
> >or it won't matter how many condoms they use.
> Condoms are not infallible;
> >they break, they fail, and they are more porous in
> bodily fluids than they
> >are in the water and saline in which they are
> tested.  There was a study
> >published in the Lancet many years ago where they
> gave a supply of condoms
> >to one group of prostitutes in Nigeria, I believe;
> to the other grou p
> >they did not give condoms.  The rate of AIDS
> transmission in both groups
> >was the same.  They pass out condoms in high
> schools here; AIDS is
> >spreading among 13-25 year olds faster than any
> other group.  Just passing
> >out condoms doesn' work.  You must teach the
> reasons why indiscriminate
> >sex is dangerous: emotionally, mentally and
> physically.  Besides, there
> >are other STDs that condoms don't protect against.
> Chlamydia is too small
> >for condoms to stop.  It too is spreading rapidly
> and is undetected most
> >of the time.  Our children are having oral sex in
> droves, thinking it's
> >not real sex and still spreading AIDS and other
> STDs.  Adults have no
> >self-control and we are demonstrating that lack of
> control to our children
> >and they are suffering.  Closed-minded...I don't
> think so.  I'm trying to
> >look out for our kids.  How many children are born
> with AIDS because of
> >adult indiscriminate sexual activity?  If you think
> about it...I mean
> >really...how many women get pregnant while using
> condoms?  Many.  Sperm
> >are much larger than the AIDS virus.  Use your
> head.
> >

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