Condom Fallacies
Short-Sighted Campaigns Spread Diseases
By Father John Flynn, LC
ROME, FEB. 11, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The issue of wide-scale distribution
of condoms is in the news once more. In the days preceding Brazil's
Carnival celebrations authorities announced they would be handing out
19.5 million free condoms, re****ted Reuters on Jan. 28.
A British medical journal, the Lancet, also recently criticized the
Church for its opposition to condoms. An editorial in the Jan. 26
edition of the journal chided Benedict XVI for not changing Church
teaching so that condoms could be used by Catholics in preventing HIV/
AIDS infections.
The simplistic assumption that condoms are the solution to ***ually
transmitted diseases is, however, increasingly being proved false. In
its Jan. 26 issue, the British Medical Journal published a forum on
condoms, with contrasting articles for and against on the topic.
Even the article in favor of condoms, by Markus Steiner and Willard
Cates, admitted that in addition to condoms there is a need for "risk
avoidance and risk reduction approaches." Such measures, they
explained, include delayed initiation of ***ual intercourse, and
mutual faithfulness.
In his article putting forward the "no" case, Stephen Genuis clearly
stated: "Firstly, condoms cannot be the definitive answer to ***ually
transmitted infection because they provide insufficient protection
against transmission of many common diseases."
Genius also pointed out that: "Epidemiological research repeatedly
shows that condom familiarity and risk awareness do not result in
sustained safer *** choices in real life."
More of the same
Faced with such arguments about the failure of condoms and ***
education campaigns, the reaction is often to call for more of the
same. A typical example was the recent news from Australia, where it
was found that 60% of Australian women who have unplanned pregnancies
were using contraceptive pills or condoms.
According to the Jan. 30 re****t by the Melbourne-based Age newspaper,
family planning groups responded by calling for more ***ual education
programs.
Nevertheless, in his British Medical Journal article Genius pointed
out the fallacy of such arguments. In relation to condom and "safe
***" campaigns, he said: "The relentless rise of ***ually transmitted
infection in the face of unprecedented education about and promotion
of condoms is testament to the lack of success of this approach.
"In numerous large studies, concerted efforts to promote use of
condoms has consistently failed to control rates of ***ually
transmitted infection -- even in countries with advanced *** education
programs such as Canada, Sweden and Switzerland."
In countries such as Thailand and Cambodia, where ***ually transmitted
infections have diminished, Genius argued that a careful scrutiny of
the data reveals that the changes resulted not from condom use, but
from changes in ***ual behavior.
"Innumerable adolescents saturated with condom focused *** education
fail to have their fundamental human needs met and end up contracting
***ually transmitted infections," Genius concluded.
Africa experience
Excessive reliance on condoms to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa was
criticized in a book published last year. Helen Epstein, in "The
Invisible Cure: Africa, The West, And the Fight Against
Aids," (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux), also had reserves about ***ual
abstinence campaigns, but did admit the im****tance of changing ***ual
behavior.
In trying to find the causes of the high degree of infections in
Africa, researchers found that a relatively high pro****tion of African
men and women had simultaneous ***ual relations with two or three
partners. Compared to serial monogamy more common in Western countries
the concurrent relation****ps greatly increase the risk of a rapid
diffusion of ***ual diseases.
Epstein was highly critical of the AIDS campaigns run by Western
groups. Organizations such as Population Services International,
Family Health International and Marie Stopes International were first
active in population control efforts, she noted. In more recent years
their activity in campaigns promoting condom use resulted in publicity
that in effect promoted ***ual activity, and in some cases "bordered
on the misogynistic," Epstein added.
The message was that casual *** was nothing to worry about, so long as
you used a condom. Apart from promoting behavior that only fueled
infections, Epstein also commented that often the campaigns clashed
with local sensibilities concerning decency and self-respect.
Changing behavior
Epstein also criticized the organizations and the United Nations for
playing down the role of infidelity in the spread of HIV/AIDS. She
recounted her experience at an international AIDS conference in
Bangkok, where researchers presenting evidence about the im****tance of
fidelity in preventing infection were "practically booed off the
stage."
Another book published last year, "The AIDS Pandemic: The Collision of
Epidemiology With Political Correctness" (Radcliffe Publi****ng), also
pointed out the need to change ***ual behavior, instead of a wholesale
reliance on condoms.
James Chin, professor of epidemiology at the University of California
at Berkeley, devoted a large part of his book to an analysis of the
numbers of HIV/AIDS sufferers, pointing out how often the figures are
vastly inflated.
Chin also argued that the fears of a large-scale infection in the
general population are unfounded, given that the ***ual behavior of
most people does not lend itself to falling prey to HIV/AIDS. The
greatest risk of being infected is found among homo***uals and those
who have multiple and concurrent partners, he explained.
The positive contribution that religion can make in changing ***ual
behavior was recognized in a RAND Cor****ation study published last
year. People who are HIV-positive and say religion is an im****tant
part of their lives are likely to have fewer ***ual partners and are
less likely to spread the virus, according to the study: "Religiosity,
Denominational Affiliation and ***ual Behaviors Among People with HIV
in the U.S."
"Religiosity is an untapped resource in the whole struggle against HIV
and AIDS, and should be looked at more thoroughly," commented Frank
Galvan, lead author of the study in the April 3 press release
accompanying the re****t.
Christian concept of ***uality
The Church's view about condoms does not, however, base itself on to
what extent it may help resolve health problems. ***uality, explains
No. 2332 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, affects all of the
human person, body and soul. It concerns affectivity, the capacity to
love and procreate, and forming communion with others.
***uality is truly human and personal when it is integrated into the
relation****p of one person to another, a relation****p that is a
complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman, the Catechism
observes (No. 2337).
Benedict XVI addressed the HIV/AIDS issue in a couple of recent
speeches made when receiving the credentials of new ambassadors. On
Dec. 13, in his address to Peter Hitjitevi Katjavivi from Namibia, the
Pope recognized the urgent need to halt the spread of infections.
"I assure the people of your country that the Church will continue to
assist those who suffer from AIDS and to sup****t their families," the
Pope stated.
The Church's contribution to the goal of eradicating AIDS, the Pontiff
continued, "cannot but draw its inspiration from the Christian
conception of human love and ***uality." This vision sees marriage as
a total, reciprocal and exclusive communion of love between a man and
a woman, Benedict XVI explained.
The same day, in a speech to Elizabeth Ya Eli Harding, Gambia's new
ambassador to the Holy See, the Pope stated that while medicine and
education have a part to play in combating HIV/AIDS: "Promiscuous
***ual conduct is a root cause of many moral and physical ills and
must be overcome by promoting a culture of marital faithfulness and
moral integrity."
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