Tragic HIV/AIDS vote in European Parliament

John Smeaton (www.spuc-director.blogspot.com) gives a very lengthy and interesting account of the recent vote on HIV/AIDS that was taken in the European Parliament.  It is sad and worrying to note that the resolution, which called for ‘safe and legal’ abortion as a way to prevent HIV/AIDS, was carried, despite rejection of it on the part of a good number of MEPs.    

The website of European Dignity Watch reports as follows: 

‘Unfortunately, all bad passages were adopted. […] In other words, the European Parliament is of the opinion that in order to contain this epidemic, the abortion of potential carriers of the virus is a legitimate means.  Only one out of seven problematic passages was rejected by a majority of the EPP [European People’s Party] group (the group that contains Christian democrats) and about half of the Conservatives, however not enough to ban “safe and legal abortion” from the resolution.’

European Dignity Watch later wrote: 

‘ […] on the occasion of World AIDS Day, a solid majority in the European Parliament voted on a resolution declaring that official EU policy for HIV/AIDS prevention should be closely linked to “sexual and reproductive rights” – including safe and legal abortion.

‘Although a resolution to combat HIV/AIDS is indisputably worthy of parliamentary support, the amalgamation of HIV with abortion suggests an alarming underlying eugenic logic that seems to say: Possible carriers of the HIV virus should be preventively aborted in order to prevent further spreading of the disease.

‘Prior to the vote by the European Parliament, no discussion at all was held on the real risk of HIV infection or even on the medical possibilities that exist to reduce its transmission.  This is why we think it is important to give a few key facts about the medical reality of HIV in both developed and developing countries.  […]’

Meanwhile, the humanist lobby is concerned that ‘several religious organisations launched an aggressive campaign to lobby MEPs and urge them to vote against three key paragraphs in the resolution.   Their objective was to create a distinction between the fight against AIDS and reproductive rights and to make sure that MEPs removed contraception and abortion from the resolution.   This campaign more generally aimed to limit – if not prevent – women’s sexual and reproductive rights. […]’

The humanists, however, ‘fought back’, but they are very concerned that although 369 MEPs voted in favour of one of the dangerous paragraphs (no. 22), 206 MEPs voted against it, which fact – say the humanists – ‘should keep us mobilised in the future.’

It is reported, too, that a UK Socialist MEP, Michael Cashman, pointed out during the plenary session of the debate that ‘a holistic approach, including contraception and abortion, is therefore necessary to prevent new contaminations.’    It is horrifying to think that in this day and age anyone could consider the killing of unborn babies to be ‘holistic’.

For the interest of the Irish electorate it should be noted that the usual suspects – Prionnsias de Rossa, Nessa Childers, Paul Murphy, et al. – were conspicuous in their support for the resolution in its entirety. However, sad to report, only MEPs Liam Aylward and Pat the Cope Gallagher voted against the resolution in its entirety in the final vote. 

Family Planning groups Spreading HIV/AIDS in Africa through hormonal contraception?

According to recent reports the most widely used contraceptive in sub Saharan Africa doubles the risk of transmission of HIV. This result is clearly indicated in a scientific research study, conducted by an international team, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which was published on October 4th in the "The Lancet".  

The study, which related to 3,790 couples in which one partner was HIV positive, was conducted over a two-year period with quarterly clinical trials.  The couples were selected from 8 African countries with high HIV rates, Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

The results of this scientific study are clear: where one partner in a couple is HIV positive, the use by the woman of the hormonal contraceptive Depo-Provera - produced by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer and administered by injection, doubles the risk of infection of the healthy partner: the percentage of women infected rose from 3.78 to 6.61% in a year, while for men the probability of infection is raised from 1.51 to 2.61%.

This study is not the first to make the connection between Depo-Provera and increased HIV rates. A 2004 study by the National Institutes of Health, University of North Carolina and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore (Morrison et al) found that the use of injected hormonal contraceptives increases the risk of STD’s. see LifeSite.com report

 

Depo-Provera use is widespread in Africa, due to its convenience: it is taken quarterly and does not need the assistance of a doctor. It is estimated that about 12 million African women between 15 and 49 years (6 percent) use this method of contraception.

Shockingly despite the earlier studies WHO and other associated groups including UNFPA, UNDP and the World Bank issued the following statement. 

WHO's systematic review of the evidence on whether use of hormonal contraception modifies the risk of acquiring a STI was updated.  It was reviewed by the WHO Family Planning Guideline Steering Group who concluded that this new evidence does not modify the current guidance, namely: there are no restrictions on the use of COCs and DMPA by women at high risk of acquiring a STI 

Once again despite tthe clarity the results in the current research it appears that for ideological reasons international organizations such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are once again failing in their duty to take this into account and continue to allow the drug to be administered to African women, despite the apparent risks. Women's health in third world countries appears to be secondary to ideology in the priorities of these organisations, under the pretence of reducing maternal mortality the priority of international organizations is to reduce the number of children women bear rather than making pregnancy and childbearing safer for women.

The WHO instead of acting immediately to save lives by issuing a statement for women to cease using hormonal contraception it has instead issued a statement, which casts doubt on the results of the study and has arranged a meeting to discuss the issues early next year. The WHO statement reads:

“Currently, systematic reviews conclude that the weight of evidence does not indicate that use of hormonal contraception increases the risk of HIV acquisition, transmission or disease progression among the general population, but may have an impact on women at high risk of HIV infection, such as sex workers."

The statement continues 

"[…] WHO and partners have urged for more research to resolve key gaps in our understanding of the topic.  In light of the study by Heffron and colleagues, as well as the public health concerns it raises, WHO is convening a Technical Consultation on 31 January - 1 February 2012 to re-examine the totality of evidence on potential effects of hormonal contraception on HIV acquisition, disease progression, and infectivity/transmission to sexual partners.”

Response to media criticism of Pope Benedict XVI on the HIV/AIDS issue

The media never miss an opportunity to criticise Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church particularly when it comes to issues such as  HIV/AIDS and the use of condoms

Predictably at the outset of the recent High Level Conference on HIV/AIDS in New York the Guardian had an opinion piece by Nancy Goldstein in which she castigates Pope Benedict for the Catholic Church's stance. Of course in doing so she sublimely ignores the fact that the Catholic Church is actually present on the ground in third world countries caring for and assisting those who are infected by this dreadful scourge.

Zenit.Org has this week published a response by law professor Jane Adolphe to the Goldstein article in which she highlights the truth about Catholic teaching, points out that the key to avoid disease is the avoidance of risky behaviours, and why this is in fact the only adequate response to the issue. Professor Adolphe's article is titled  "WHAT THE POPE HAS TO SAY ABOUT WOMEN AND HIV/AIDS"

This opinion piece is in response to Nancy Goldstein's discussion of the debate occurring at the United Nations over the drafting of the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS (See "Why Wont the Pope let Women Protect themselves from HIV” June 8, Guardian).

She criticizes Benedict XVI (otherwise known as the Holy See in international law) for having an all-male delegation, but in fact, the delegation contained three women, two of whom were law professors. She also implies that the Pope is anti-woman, when in fact he strongly promotes respect for the inherent dignity of women and girls in fundamental documents, as well as in his catechesis, speeches, messages, homilies, conferences and other activities. Moreover, one of the Vatican's dicasteries, the Pontifical Council for the Laity, has a section devoted to the Study of the Dignity and Vocation of Women, where it implements teachings with particular attention to the equal dignity of man and woman. 

The Pope maintains that there are "deep fundamental anthropological truths of man and woman, the equality of their dignity and the unity of both, the well rooted and profound diversity between the masculine and the feminine and their vocation to reciprocity and complementarity, to collaboration and to communion" (Benedict XVI's address to the conference "Woman and Man, the Humanum in its Entirety," 2008; cf. Pope John Paul II, "Mulieris Dignitatem," 1988, No. 6). In this way, the Pope avoids an indistinct uniformity between women and men, which constitutes a dull and impoverishing equality and counters an understanding of the relationship between women and men that pits one against the other in an endless struggle for power.

He underlines that women bear the brunt of the negative consequences associated with a denial of the complementarity of man and woman, which often dovetails into a disordered view of masculinity, and autonomy. He acknowledges the "disheartening" results flowing from the simple fact of being a female, and the reduced likelihood of: being born, surviving childhood, avoiding violence, receiving adequate nutrition, obtaining an education, accessing basic health care as well as evading HIV and AIDS (cf. Pope John Paul II, Address to Members of the Holy See Delegation to the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 1995; See also Address of Pope Benedict XVI to the Participants of the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops' Conferences, Brazil, 2007).

The Pope promotes a values-based response to HIV and AIDs, which focuses on risk-elimination through: abstinence before marriage and mutual fidelity in marriage, avoiding risk-taking behaviors, and promoting universal access to drugs that prevent the spread of HIV from mother-to-child. In regard to prevention, Benedict XVI does not try to convince women that irresponsible sexual behavior or risky and dangerous encounters form part of an acceptable lifestyle. Rather, he encourages every human person to live in conformity with norms of the natural moral order, an approach that respects fully the inherent dignity of the human person by nature endowed with reason and conscience having rights and responsibilities to self, others and the community. By the way, this position is fully in conformity with international human rights law (e.g. cf. et al. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, preamble para. 1, arts. 1, 29). 

In brief, the Holy Father first and foremost supports character formation and education toward proper behavior, as the key to avoiding the disease. The starting point is that the women and men can and should change irresponsible behavior. The contrary position would accept such behavior, at all costs, and then emphasize simply risk reduction (e.g. condom use or clean needles), as if persons were somehow incapable of breaking free from engaging in self-destructive behavior.

Jane Adolphe is an associate professor of law at Ave Maria School of Law, Naples, Florida. She was a member of the Holy See's delegation to the June 10 meeting at the United Nations on HIV/AIDS.

European Parliament refuses to condemn Papal Statement on HIV/AIDS

Euro-fam report that the European Parliament on Thursday May 7th rejected an amendment tabled by The liberal group (ALDE) to its "Annual Report on Human Rights in the World 2008 and the European Union's policy on the matter (2008/2336 (INI))", which included a scurrilous attack on Pope Benedict XVI.

The amendment which sought to promote abortion through sexual and reproductive health rights to combat AIDS also condemned Pope Benedict's statement about the effectiveness of the use of the condom in the fight against AIDS in Africa: See previous BLOG

The text of the European parliament article with the condemnation follows,

45a. [The European Parliament] Underlines the importance of promoting sexual and reproductive health rights, as a precondition for any successful fight against HIV/AIDS, which causes enormous loss in terms of human lives and economic development, affecting particularly the poorest regions in the world; firmly condemns the recent declarations made by Pope Benedict XVI, banning the use of condoms and warning that condom use could even lead to an increased risk of contagion; is concerned that those statements will severely hamper the fight against HIV/AIDS; points out that empowerment of women also helps to counter HIV/AIDS; calls on the governments of the Member States to act together to promote sexual and reproductive health rights and education, including on the use of condoms as an effective tool in the fight against this scourge;

The amendment was rejected by 253 MEPs to 199. The total vote was only 513 as many MEP's had already left for their constituencies to pursue their re-election campaigns

The Papal statement provoked angry criticism from some countries together with UN officials and anti-family politicians but his views are supported by an increasing number of scientists who have observed an increase in the rate of HIV transmission in countries that emphasize the use of condoms as a protective measure. In contrast the only country that has succeeded in reducing its HIV/AIDS infection rate is Uganda which stressed abstention from sex before marriage and faithfulness within marriage as the two main planks of its prevention strategy.

The Belgian Parliament has already denounced the statement by Pope Benedict and the Spanish Congress is currently considering a similar motion.

Condoms and HIV/AIDS

In the days since Pope Benedict XVI responded to a question by a French journalist on HIV/AIDS the media in most cases have been very critical of his comments. Support for Pope Benedict has come from many different places and from people in many walks of life including science. The Washington Times published a very interesting editorial on the topic. To place the issue in context I have first included the text of the exchange between the French Journalist and Pope Benedict and added a link to the Washington Times article.

En Route to Cameroon a French journalist asked Pope Benedict: "Holy Father among the many evils that affect Africa there is also the particular problem of the spread of AIDS. The position of the Catholic Church for fighting this evil is frequently considered unrealistic and ineffective.

Pope Benedict replied "I would say the opposite,” and he continued,

"It is my belief that the most effective presence on the front in the battle against HIV/AIDS is precisely the Catholic Church and her institutions. I think of the Community of Sant' Egidio, which does so much, visibly and invisibly to fight AIDS, of the Camillians, of all the nuns that are at the service of the sick.
"I would say that this problem of AIDS cannot be overcome with advertising slogans. If the soul is lacking, if Africans do not help one another, the scourge cannot be resolved by distributing condoms; quite the contrary, we risk worsening the problem. The solution can only come through a twofold commitment: firstly, the humanization of sexuality, in other words a spiritual and human renewal bringing a new way of behaving towards one another; and secondly, true friendship, above all with those who are suffering, a readiness - even through personal sacrifice - to be present with those who suffer. And these are the factors that help and bring visible progress.
"Therefore, I would say that our double effort is to renew the human person internally, to give spiritual and human strength to a way of behaving that is just towards our own body and the other person's body; and this capacity of suffering with those who suffer, to remain present in trying situations.
"I believe that this is the first response [to AIDS] and that this is what the Church does, and thus, she offers a great and important contribution. And we are grateful to those that do this."

Link to Washington Times article

Miss HIV Pageant

The Hermeneutic of Continuity has a post on a new film looking at both sides of the ideological battle against HIV/AIDS in Africa. The film-makers state:

Unlike any film you've ever seen on AIDS, the story takes you backstage to the Miss HIV pageant and behind the curtain on what is really happening in the war against a virus that is now the leading killer of people under 60 in the world.

The trailer is available for view at this website

Co-Chair of Ugandan HIV-AIDS Prevention Committee slams profiteering

A thought provoking article by The Rev. Sam L. Ruteikara co-chair of Uganda’s National AIDS-Prevention Programme, appeared in the Washington Post on Monday last June 30th.

Rev. Ruteikara points out that the Ugandan success in reducing the proportion of Ugandans infected by AIDS from 21% in 1991 to 6% in 2002 was substantially due to the message “stick to one partner’. The main thrust of the Ugandan programme, known as the ABC programme, was that people should abstain from sexual activity before marriage and be faithful to their spouse when they marry. Condoms were only promoted in the Ugandan programme as a last resort. Unfortunately this successful approach has been subverted by so-called experts whose approach rejects both abstinence and faithfulness and pushes condom use as the main preventative measure. This has resulted in a rise in HIV infection rates.

The Rev. Ruteikara make a heartfelt plea for the international community to respect traditional African values and makes a plea to those who seek to profit from the misery of others “Let my people go”

Having attended UN Human Rights Commission sessions in Geneva over the years I sympathise with the Rev. Ruteikara. I have witnessed serious proposals based on the Ugandan model of abstinence and faithfulness being sneered at and rejected by many of the western countries, basically because words such as 'abstinence' and 'fidelity' are anathema to the ideology prevalant in most western nations. But as Rev. Ruteikara states in his article:

We understand that casual sex is dear to you, but staying alive is dear to us. Listen to African wisdom, and we will show you how to prevent AIDS.