Knee-Jerk Anti-Catholic Sentiment

[davidklecha]

In a move sure to piss off a lot of people who read my LJ, I have to say that I think the latest backlash against the RCC, regarding the condoms and AIDS thing, is misplaced.

Abstinence, when practiced consistently and correctly, is the only 100% sure method of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS through sexual intercourse. This is not, I think, a difficult concept to comprehend. Though, I'm certain, it is a difficult concept for people who believe that sexual freedom is the supreme, inalienable right of all humanity.

Yeah, it's hard. So are a lot of other things. When it comes to your life, and the lives of those around you, though, I don't think you should fuck around. Literally.

Go ahead, hate on me all my liberal/anti-Catholic friends. It's cool.

Comments

[dsudis.livejournal.com]

I've spent two hours, since seeing your comment on my lj, trying to be not-knee-jerk about this (and, just so you know, 'Gah! Catholics' was pretty toned down from my actual knee jerk reaction...), so.

I wanted to say that the Vatican has no particular right to be holding forth on the efficacy of condoms because, dude, they're not doctors or epidemiologists, but of course, in the process of expounding their birth control position (which... right, let's not go there), they're perfectly justified in addressing the question of 'Well, can I use a condom to prevent the spread of AIDS?' and of course their response would then be something like, 'No,' and their justification for that might be 'Even condoms don't prevent the spread of AIDS perfectly, so that's no justification and you'll still go to hell if you use them.' And that's, um, laudably internally consistent.

But the fact is: there's an AIDS epidemic in Africa - 1 in 5 adults are infected, and in many places it's 1 in 3. The stigma against AIDS is so great that people refuse to be tested, and children orphaned by the disease violently deny that their parents were infected. African men commonly believe that they simply cannot or should not or will not go without sex when separated from their wives for, e.g. economic reasons, which means promiscuity, and in the absence of condoms that means the spread of AIDS. Or in the presence of condoms, yes, because nothing is foolproof (according to Christian doctrine, not even abstinence is 100% effective birth control, after all...), but less so.

WHO is trying to tell people 'Condoms good, Condoms = no AIDS'.
The Vatican is saying 'Condoms not good'.
The message that appears to be getting communicated to individual at-risk Catholics is 'Condoms bad, Condoms = AIDS'.

Basically, what I'm saying is this: abstinence is a lovely lovely lovely theory. But no disease is going to stop people from having sex, any more than the threat of hellfire ever did. So people who live in the world, people who want to save lives, have to put their faith in 90% efficacy, and have to minimize risk. And that's what condoms do.

Or that's what they would do, if the Church weren't scaring people off using them.

[iuliamentis.livejournal.com]

Word.

[daveamongus.livejournal.com]

As much as abstinence is a theory, the proper and effective use of condoms 100% of the time is a myth. Fact of the matter is, it doesn't happen. Further fact is that even when they are used properly, there's still a 10% chance of infection.

So how is that going to stem the tide of infection? All it says is, "Condoms are some magical device that will stop AIDS." Education on proper use is fine and well, but that's only going to work, really, with people who are willing to take precautions, and they're going to be the people less at risk to begin with.

Proper education. People need to learn the risks of what they're doing and adjust their lives accordingly. Too bad if they think they're entitled to sleep around when they're away from their wives. They're in a middle of an honest-to-God epidemic. Condoms are not the magic solution.

That the Church's position on prophylactics in general coincides with the most effective means of stopping the spread of STDs is notable, and I can understand that it seems offensive to you, if you consider the Church's position on birth control to be antiquarian and inhumane. But that doesn't make isolation and avoidance of possible exposure the best way to avoid spreading the disease.