Thoughts on World AIDS Day

It's been roughly twenty years since HIV came to prominence in the United States. Back in 1987, contracting HIV meant death. Thanks to the American pharmaceutical industry, that is no longer the case as the advent has protease inhibitors and other drugs that make up the "AIDS Cocktail" has given sufferers a shot at a normal life. Because HIV is no longer a death sentence, the urgency of combating the virus has waned here.

That's not the case in Africa and other nations in Asia. The numbers vary (and the UN recently revised them down)but approximately 33-million people suffer from HIV or full-blown AIDS. That's an incredibly high number and one that could and should be reduced.

The simple fact is that unlike cancer and other fatal diseases, AIDS is 100% preventable. Simple practices can stop most exposures and the disease can be essentially wiped out in several decades. That is a salient fact that many in the gay community want you to forget.

Now I'm far from a Bible-thumper and I am pragmatic when discussing the epidemic of HIV, I would hope those in the gay community would be as well. Whenever I write about this topic I get the usual wackos who attack me for saying that this epidemic is one that shouldn't be and hit me as an Evangelical who doesn't care about those suffering. I am not of course, but they need to hit me on something besides facts.

That said, the only way to stop the spread of HIV is by either abstinence, monogamy or wearing a condom every time you have sex. There are cases from blood to blood contact in a medical setting blood transfusions but those cases are statistically irrelevant when compared with sexual activity. Let's look at these three preventive measures a little more in-depth:

Abstinence--This, of course is the only sure-fire way of preventing the spread from person to person and it is also the most impossible to instill, people are going to have sex whether it be for procreation or pleasure. That's not say that abstinence shouldn't be taught since it may be heeded by some and prevent a small amount of new cases. Which leads us to the next method, monogamy. See below where I talk of the politics of the issue.

Monogamy--This is what tends to get the HIV prevention coalitions worked up. They argue (in what I perceive as using racism undertones) that you can't expect cultures to change their habits. What they mean in a subliminal way is that they're not smart enough to change their sexual habits and we should not ask them to do so. That is a subtly racist stance and one that is causing the numbers of infected to rise daily. Granted, sexual activity is not the only way HIV is spread in Africa but it is the most prevalent. This has become a charged political issue, one pitting President Bush against liberals and the HIV lobby. Previous entry on the politics of this issue here.

I'll talk more about Bush in a moment, but the argument that cultural activities can't be changed is a shallow one and one that will result in many more dead in coming years. Quite simply, if a man and a woman are faithful to one another and have no other sexual partners, the chances of getting HIV are nil.

Condom Usage--This is another hot-button topic. I would offer that those who do not support this method based on religious terms are deluding themselves. While monogamy or abstinence are practices to aspire to, it's unrealistic to believe that they will stop HIV infections. Condom usage is the way to end the scourge while teaching both abstinence and monogamy as well. I would venture that using condoms as decorations and jewelry isn't going to help the problem, though.

Finally, the politics of the issue are a major stumbling block to effectively battle the spread of HIV. From inane proposals from the UN to wariness or downright hostility to American programs has gotten us to the point where we are now; nowhere nearer the solution. President Bush has taken the lead on this issue and has given more money to Africa than most other nations combined to stopping the epidemic. Liberals have battled him at every turn for no other reason than having the audacity to want abstinence and monogamy taught as a part of the package. I think the left also is appalled that Clinton never took the lead on this issue and George W, Bush did as Sir Bob Geldof so eloquently put it here. The idea that a Republican not only acknowledged the problem but actually took great strides to put an end to was so alien to them that they had to criticize his plans at every turn, regardless if his policies would be effective or not. Even when he the President calls for doubling funding as he did yesterday it's met will met with scepticism.

I've not even touched on HIV in the US but that's a post for another day.