The article this morning was written by PBS' Bonnie Erbe, amplifying the outrage of the elitists against Pope Benedict's suggestion that free condoms aren't the solution to the African AIDS epidemic.
Bonnie piled on the Pope with charges that he was hopelessly ignorant for suggesting that responsible monogamy is the most effective and moral strategy for guaranteeing protection from the terrible virus.
She railed that African women are sold against their will into marriages with older men who have been sexually promiscuous and already infected. Those men refuse to use any protection against the disease, thus their young brides are sentenced to death when sold into these arranged slavish marriages.
Um, Bonnie, did you happen to notice that in your argument you actually confirmed the papal point that condoms aren't the answer? In your twisted logic defending the UN policy of distributing free condoms to Africans, you actually confirmed that it doesn't work; ahem, men refuse to use them.
It seems that your anger toward the pontiff may be based more on your distaste for Catholicism than any reasoned argument about the topic of AIDS prevention.
Studies have come up with about an 80% effectiveness rate in preventing STD's for those using condoms. Monogamy is 100% effective.
What's wrong with telling the truth, Bonnie? Given the facts and making a purely logical decision, would you feel safer practicing the 80% or the 100% prevention strategy? Would you knowingly have sex with someone who has AIDS if there's a 20% chance of infection, or would you take a pass?
Let's assume for argument's sake that your depiction of women enslavement to infected men is true. It's certainly tragic, if true. How exactly does it invalidate Pope Benedict's statement?
On another topic, what's the best way to stop an epidemic? Removing the infected from the general population can be pretty effective. Nobody really wants to do that, so the next best approach is to tell everyone to stop exchanging body fluids with people that may be infected.
I don't care whether you're approaching this topic from a religious perspective or not. The 100% effective strategy isn't that hard to comprehend. Why not educate everyone about it?
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