What are your comments on this article?

Question

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The rapid spread in Latin America of the virus that causes AIDS is made worse by the Roman Catholic Church's stand against using condoms, a U.N. official said on Monday. Some 1.7 million people across Latin America are infected with the HIV virus or full-blown AIDS, & the epidemic is spreading swiftly with up to 410,000 new cases in 2006, up from as many as 320,000 new cases in 2004, according the UN AIDS program, UNAIDS.

"In Latin America the use of condoms has been demonized, but if they were used in every relation I guarantee the epidemic would be resolved in the region," said Alberto Stella, the UNAIDS Coordinator for Honduras, Nicaragua & Costa Rica.

The Catholic Church, which holds sway in Latin America despite the rise in evangelical churches, opposes all forms of contraception & instead promotes abstinence as a way to avoid spreading AIDS. "The fact young people start to be sexually active between 15 & 19 without

without sex education contributes to the spreading of the virus, as well as the fact that the evidence shows abstinence is not working," Stella told Reuters.
Latin America is home to nearly half the world's 1.1 billion Catholics, but the Church's position on premarital sex and contraception often clashes with modern values. Brazil, the region's largest Catholic nation, regularly distributes free condoms to try and bring down HIV infection rates.

I think the RC Church should wake up & realise that people today are just not going to abstane from sexual practices with just anyone. Kids sleep around all the time with no respect for themselves or thoughts of catching something or spreading it. They think that their policy is going to curb the morale looseness but it's only contributing to the AIDS virus.

Tripsbab - you aren't seeing the whole picture here. People are stupid & should be responsible for their own actions. However, the church should say OK to condoms. The people are more afraid of the church, who says it's a sin to use condoms, than of getting a life threatening disease. The church should say it's a sin to have sex before marriage but if you are going to, protect yourself and others. What is the greater sin here?

As usally happens with questions concerning the C. Church, you get answers like stop kicking the rock or the poor C. Church is blamed for everything. These people have yet to give an intelligent answer. They jump to defend the church but cannot answer the question.

Answer 1

While I think the idea of abstinence until marriage is a novel idea, I think that the church should be realistic in their approach to the contraceptive issue. I have three kids from the ages of 12-19 and while I would love more than anything for them to wait for marriage, I know that is not going to happen. I have spoken with all of them and while I suggested waiting, I also talked to them about what protective measures to take. I think that many of the teachings of the RC church are outdated. I am not saying that they need to change their teaching that people should wait but they need to be realistic. The world is a much different place than it was when the church originated. As much as they want people to wait, they are just not going to. They need to worry about what it best for the people as a whole. They need to work on educating people to keep AIDS from spreading.

Answer 2

The notion that a person would disrespect the churchs recomendations and do sex outside marriage but would at the same time respect it and do sex without contraceptive is somewhat strange to me and anyone with a bit of logic. People do sex without contraceptive because of ignorance and irresponsability, not because of the Catholic church, that's obvious. I don't think 5% of the world's catholics follow the churchs recomendations on that, and among those 5% that follows, 90% don't do sex outside marriage.

PS: 1.7 million out of a population of 525 millions is 0.3%. Just to compare, in the US 0.6% of the population has AIDS. So that's a typical UN alarmism.

PS.2: who is to be blamed for the AIDS in Africa? Only 3 African countries have catholic majorities.

Answer 3

I'm not clear on the basis for the no-contraception rule. If it's in support of pro-life issues then it's got to be rethought. The spread of AIDs could be better controlled through sex education and protection measures. That is pro-life. These hard-lined policies just don't consider the variabilities of the human condition enough. If it's focus is morality, then which is a bigger morality issue? Sex or Life?

Answer 4

No offense to anyone but the Latin people are the ones that have children at such young ages and have like ten babies that they cant even support! Look at whats happening to Califonia! But the Morman religion has a lot of children as well but they wait til they are older. The Catholics need to wake up and smell the coffee!!

Answer 5

It's even worse in Africa, where the Pope tells them all to throw away the condoms that are handed out to them and practice abstinence until marriage...basically, it's an ideal solution for an unideal world, which is why it isn't going to work and why these Catholic leaders should keep their nose out of this condom business.

Answer 6

Surely the governments must take control of this. They are going to have to. The message must be that sex without condoms is a death sentence. And if you believe that sleeping around before marriage, is wrong, stick to it. After all, that is one of the basics of the Chrsitian religion. While the use of condoms is never discussed in the bible.

Answer 7

They blame the poor old Caatholic Church with everything
the Evangelical Church would most probably support the Catholic Church on this
Go and ask them and stop kicking the 'Rock'