Ugandan President: Abstinence and Marriage to defeat AIDS
Bangkok (AsiaNews/Agencies) Abstinence and sex within marriage are the most effective weapons in the fight against AIDS, this according to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who spoke at the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. One of the conference's key goals is to find global solutions to the disease and stop Asia from following Africa's lead in the new millennium.
The determined intervention of the president of Uganda, where the infection rate has dropped dramatically, runs counter to traditional approaches to AIDS prevention for it focuses on information, strengthening the family, and refusing promiscuous lifestyles. On the second day, Museveni reiterated his position which, like that of US president George W. Bush, treats fidelity as key to safe relations and crucial in the fight against AIDS for "condoms are not the best solution."
Unlike the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa, his country has made great strides against AIDS reducing the rate of infection from 30% in the 1990s to 6% in 2003. With the help of religious groups the Ugandan government has launched an awareness and information campaign best summed up by the first three letters of the alphabet, namely ABC which respectively stand for "Abstinence", "Be faithful" and "Condoms" (where appropriate). However, despite good results, experts remain sceptical as to the cause indicating that too few studies have been done to enable anyone to reach definitive conclusions. Most AIDS researchers have been critical of Museveni's position and the Bush administration's initiatives which have earmarked one third of US AIDS funds to programmes focusing on pre-marital abstinence and prevention.
The Catholic Church has also backed initiatives that focus on information, education and values and refuse ad hoc solutions. Her goal is to give people the means to choose lifestyles and adopt behaviours that would pre-empt the risk of AIDS infection and avoid its spread.
In his message on World AIDS Day on December 1, 2003, Card. Javier Lozano Barragán, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care, stated that "the teaching of John Paul II treats the nature of the phenomenon (pathology of the spirit); prevention based on the sacredness of life and responsible sexuality, on transcendence and education to chastity, on the love of God, the conduct of the patient, the sexual conduct, mother to child transmission, the offering of suffering in relation to the mystery of the cross and the hope of resurrection.. The teaching of the Holy Father is particularly addressed to health professionals, who in the figure of the Good Samaritan find a paradigm of merciful love that overcomes all human barriers; to civil authorities who have to provide correct information to the population and aid to the poor; to scientists and researchers who are called to a renewed solidarity with AIDS patients, doing all they can to advance biomedical research on HIV/AIDS, so that they may discover new effective drugs that are capable of stemming the phenomenon."
The respect for the dignity and suffering of patients and the pastoral mission of the Church in the world have seen Catholics on the frontlines in the fight against AIDS by way of concrete care initiatives that benefit the sick and their families. Throughout the world at both the diocesan and national levels, the Church has promoted pastoral initiatives that include training and information. Thus the Church trains social and health care workers, builds hospitals and AIDS hospices, provides hospital and home-care assistance to AIDS patients, AIDS orphans and their families through spiritual, pastoral and psychological support, and funds anti-AIDS initiatives. On the average Church bodies represents 12% of total social expenditures on AIDS initiatives whilst Catholic non governmental organisations (NGOs) provide another 12% for a total of 25% making the Church governments' main partner in social affairs. Health-wise the Church's commitment represents 19% of overall expenditures or one third of government spending and almost twice the amount of non Catholic NGOs (10%) and private groups (11%). (MR)
.png)
20/07/2011
