John Noble (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jackofallgeeks) wrote2006-11-28 05:29 am
jackofallgeeks) wrote2006-11-28 05:29 am
AIDs Prevention
From This article on an increasing trend in AIDs infections:
Simply focusing on treatment or politically uncontroversial prevention methods will not suffice. "You can't put all your eggs in the abstinence basket," said Hays. "We need a menu of strategies for real people," he said, adding that condom distribution as well as new methods, such as a vaccine, are needed.
OK, so we all know my personal stance here, but I'm honestly curious: I hear a lot of talk about condoms and the like as a means of 'safe sex,' but I've never seen any statistics on it. Generally I take all statistics with a grain of salt anyways (too many ways to bend the numbers, in my opinion), but I know there's still a chance of pregnancy when using condoms, so I'm just curious what things look like numerically on AIDs prevention.
And I'll be honest, what bothers me the most about the "can't put all your eggs in the abstinence basket" quip is the implication that we as humans generally lack the self-control to not sleep around. I mean, we're not really talking about a religious issue here any more -- the answer to "what's wrong with having sex" is no longer "God doesn't like it," it's "you could get AIDs and die." One would imagine that's a big enough stick to get most people to at least think about who they're sleeping with -- at the very least you shouldn't sleep with someone you know is sick, right? And you certainly shouldn't sleep with someone you can't trust is being honest about their sexual history. So... yeah. That's my thought for the moment.
Simply focusing on treatment or politically uncontroversial prevention methods will not suffice. "You can't put all your eggs in the abstinence basket," said Hays. "We need a menu of strategies for real people," he said, adding that condom distribution as well as new methods, such as a vaccine, are needed.
OK, so we all know my personal stance here, but I'm honestly curious: I hear a lot of talk about condoms and the like as a means of 'safe sex,' but I've never seen any statistics on it. Generally I take all statistics with a grain of salt anyways (too many ways to bend the numbers, in my opinion), but I know there's still a chance of pregnancy when using condoms, so I'm just curious what things look like numerically on AIDs prevention.
And I'll be honest, what bothers me the most about the "can't put all your eggs in the abstinence basket" quip is the implication that we as humans generally lack the self-control to not sleep around. I mean, we're not really talking about a religious issue here any more -- the answer to "what's wrong with having sex" is no longer "God doesn't like it," it's "you could get AIDs and die." One would imagine that's a big enough stick to get most people to at least think about who they're sleeping with -- at the very least you shouldn't sleep with someone you know is sick, right? And you certainly shouldn't sleep with someone you can't trust is being honest about their sexual history. So... yeah. That's my thought for the moment.
Re: Sorry about the Serious Thoughts
I agree with that completely. The real reason I think we need to get with the program as far as AIDS prevention and research goes is because, while in the US it may have a lot ot do with young people not being able to keep their pants on, in other countries, it has much more to do with true lack of education, modern cultural norms, and the like. In Africa, for instance, an unreasonable number of children are born with AIDS. I feel like those babies deserve to be able to be treated for a disease that was completely not their fault, and that they're who we should be planning for. And, if other people can benefit from that, well, bully for them.
Even at that, though, it's been my understanding that blood tests are routine for pending marriages, and if they're not I think they ought to be.
Anymore, that seems to be the exception and not the norm. I know that in Maryland, for instance, there are no blood tests, and that there's testing in DC, but it just makes many people choose to get married in Virginia. I"m still not sure how I feel about that issue, but I agree that it could probably go a long way towards making a difference.
no subject
Mind, I don't think it should be legislated necessarily, but it should be routine. People should quirk their eyebrows in that "oh, well, ok" kind of way when they hear that you didn't or aren't getting blood tests done. More often than not, I really do just want the government out of my hair.
You're right on the African nations, but I'm at even more of a loss on solutions for them as I am on solutions for us. True, condoms will keep children from being born with AIDs, but only because it'll keep them from being born (or even conceived) at all. Until there's some other 'fix', those that are still born will be at the same risk for AIDs (generally speaking -- cleaner parents make for cleaner children, but I'm unsure how much of an impact wider use of condoms would have on that issue).
Re: Sorry about the Serious Thoughts
I've just spent way too much time tracking down studies for my other comment, so you'll have to trust my anecdote for the moment. :)