Saturday, April 14, 2007
Abstinence NOT for AIDS Agenda
The Bush adminstration spends at least one third of its AIDS assistance (PEPFAR- Preseidential Emergency Plan for Aids Relief) on Abstinence Only messages. Many African communities, however, are unable to consider a lifestyle based on abstinence, or even being faithful to one partner. Their cultures do not teach such western values, whihttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifch make understanding PEPFAR AIDS prevention methods much more difficult and often futile.
The US Congress requested a study to monitor evidence of youth abstinence in the United States, where the term is better understood than in Africa. The results showed that knowledge about abstinence (aka education) did not change the sexual behaviors of the youth. I doubt that the PEPFAR funding is being applied effectively in African communities if abstinence programs neither coincide with cultural norms nor promote healthy sexual activity and women empowerment, both of which can help decrease AIDS prevalence.
Additional Resources (April 17)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/washington/15sex.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/weekinreview/15mcneil.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
The US Congress requested a study to monitor evidence of youth abstinence in the United States, where the term is better understood than in Africa. The results showed that knowledge about abstinence (aka education) did not change the sexual behaviors of the youth. I doubt that the PEPFAR funding is being applied effectively in African communities if abstinence programs neither coincide with cultural norms nor promote healthy sexual activity and women empowerment, both of which can help decrease AIDS prevalence.
Additional Resources (April 17)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/washington/15sex.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/weekinreview/15mcneil.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
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