Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision (Kampala) - December 3, 2003
In a country like Uganda, where transmission is mainly through sex, the ABC strategy is very effective in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This is so because it is about choice.
Human beings will always choose what they ably do. There are those who will decide to abstain, others commit themselves to faithfulness and some choose to use condoms.
It is a tripartite reality where choices are available and made for safety reasons. Any advice blinding the people from making choices is dangerous.
That is why President Yoweri Museveni in his address on the World Aids Day warned the dangers of mixing morality with safety. What he was in essence saying is that safety should be paramount. Everyone should in effect avoid contracting HIV/AIDS through choices within the ABC scope.
But religious leaders campaigning against condoms are undermining the ABC strategy. Peddling myths about condoms to discourage users limits the spectrum of safety options for the people. For instance, it's not true that condoms have pores as some religious leaders allege. That is a lie yet religious leaders should not tell lies.
Condoms are safe when used properly and correctly. What people need is information about how to use them, which is disseminated by health service providers. Preaching abstinence and faithfulness is one thing and adhering to it is another. The reality is people easily stray and condoms can save them. If they can not tolerate condoms, religious leaders and their organisations should shut up about them. Condoms are not about morals but safety.
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