In Support of the Pope's Abstinence Stance

The Catholic Church is unwilling to promote condom use among its followers.

By: Eche Sica

When Pope Benedict XVI visited Africa a few months ago, he unequivocally announced his abhorrence for contraceptives. This was scarcely-surprising considering the late affable John Paul II’s, insistence on abstinence as a preferred method in the fight against HIV/AIDS. But the backlash that followed was hardly predictable as more than a few talking heads wasted no words in denouncing the Pontiff’s utterances.

To begin with, many are willing to forget that one of the most widely accepted anti-HIV campaign messages is the ABC strategy. It is a fact that this strategy has the blessings of many governments, experts, and the United Nations. As we can see, condoms are actually the third, NOT first, in the ‘ABC’ pecking order.

To be sure, the ABC strategy advocates that one should Abstain first, remain Faithful to their partners, and, lastly, use Condoms. Having said that, I’m not unaware of emerging debates within the corridors of reproductive health about the efficacy/ineffectiveness of this strategy, but, to date, no one has proposed a better modus operandi.

Janet Fleischman (who consulted for UNAIDS) went further to suggest a DEF strategy with, D standing for "disclosure, "E" lack of access to education, and F for female-controlled prevention methods. While Fleischman and the UN should be applauded for continuous efforts in HIV prevention, this addition/alternative, ‘DEF’ does not completely abolish abstinence as the primary means of prevention.

Shouldn’t our efforts be focused on the first option—Abstinence—since it has been recognized by all as the surest or most potent way of preventing HIV/AIDS?

Let me give some support to this position. If the proposition is that the Vatican’s doctrine increases infection, then one would expect to see higher rates in highly populated Catholic areas. Well, the statistics indicate that the opposite is quite true.

Consider this: Of the top ten nations where AIDS is prevalent in Africa, only Lesotho can be considered a largely Catholic populated nation. Equatorial Guinea which has one the largest Catholic population in Africa (93.52%) belongs to the low infection rate categories (3.4%).

Available statistics indicate that Angola, another predominantly Catholic nation, has an infection rate of 2.1%--one of the lowest on the continent. The same goes for other Catholic Countries such as Burundi. Even in Ghana where Catholics make up 33% of some regional populations, the infection rate stands at a mere 3.1%.

However, countries with low Catholic populations such as Botswana and Swaziland have some of the highest infection rates, i.e. 23.9% and 26.1% respectively (see CIA World Fact book). If we’re going to go berserk and call the Pope names because he wouldn’t condone our indulgences, we should at least be honest enough to tell people the hard facts.

Clearly, the prevailing idea that Catholicism is the reason why AIDS cases continue to rise falls flat and should be treated as nothing, but an anti-Catholic propaganda.

According to a report in the Washington Post, certain states in the US have shown that abstinence messages were “more likely to persuade black junior high school students to put off initiating sex…” We are also aware of the effectiveness of abstinence messages in reducing the HIV rates in countries like Uganda. So the issue of condemning fidelity as unrealistic is really moot.

After all, let’s imagine—it’s not going to happen, though—just for a second that the Vatican renounces its stance on condoms (say) tomorrow. Does that mean we’re going to see an automatic reduction in AIDS figures?

There will be some people out there who will want to go it ‘raw’ no matter what. As they like to say “Why eat Banana with the peals on”. Are we going to blame this too on the Papacy? I believe that sex is one of the most private, if not enticing of all human feelings; so I refuse to be judgmental. But to be honest, the real reason behind this whole circus is because we ignore one of the most basic rules for any HIV prevention campaign: self control. This is a disservice to the millennial generation.

With that said, the Holy See should be congratulated for at least taking an emphatic stand on such a controversial issue. The rage against Benedict XVI must have faded by now. So let’s all get our breath back and agree that since sex is a precious thing it should be enjoyed in the best way-under the best circumstances-with the best consequences.