Saturday, August 30, 2008
Government promotion of condoms will backfire, warns anti-Aids advocate
THE government’s active promotion of the use of condoms will backfire and instead cause the HIV/Aids incidence in the country to further rise, a health advocate warned yesterday.
Dr. Rene Josef Bullecer, founder and chairperson of Aids-Free Philippines, said the argument of Health Undersecretary Mario Villaverde was founded on a fallacy.
He was reacting to Villaverde’s statement that the Catholic Church’s hardline stance against condom use is harming the government’s drive against the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (Aids).
“In places where there is all-out promotion of condom (use), in Europe, America, Australia, the Aids cases are skyrocketing despite the massive promotion, contrary to what was claimed,” Bullecer said.
Valverde has said that condoms offer 95 percent protection to users against HIV, which causes Aids.
But like Bullecer’s group, the church considers the use of condoms and other artificial contraceptives as immoral and anti-life.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that as of 2007, 5,900 to 11,000 adults were living with HIV in the Philippines. (The WHO reports its estimates in ranges, from low to high.) The same WHO report stated that back in 2001, the estimated number of adults living with HIV was 630 to 1,200.
Bullecer, however, said that condoms encourage sexual promiscuity so that in countries where condoms are widely used, the number of HIV/Aids cases is very high.
He said that since the first case in the country was documented in 1985, the number of Aids cases has not reached epidemic proportions, which the World Health Organization (WHO) allegedly predicted in 1995.
“Aids is a behavioral disease, so dili pwede ipadaplin ang (we cannot disregard) morality. More often, most of those who have Aids live immorally, have sex outside or before marriage, and engage in homosexuality,” Bullecer argued.
“We will reap what will be sown today. Mo-grabe ang cases because open promotion of condoms means open promotion of sexual activity and dangerous sexual lifestyles,” he added.
He recalled that the government actually started the campaign against Aids by promoting abstinence, being faithful to one sexual partner, and condom use.
He said that then health secretary Juan Flavier cited abstinence and being faithful as 100 percent effective, and condoms as “just 60 percent” effective.
But the government, he said, is pursuing the use of condoms instead, alleging that contraceptive makers are bankrolling the effort. (RHM)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 30, 2008 issue)
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