United Press International - Friday, 16 November 2001
Jenny Pribble, UPI Science News

In this conservative country, the Catholic Church also plays an active political role and the mainstream national media often ignores issues such as abortion and HIV/AIDS.

Vicente Sabatini, a successful director of popular television dramas, is trying to change this by introducing, for the first time on Chilean television, a character infected with HIV.

"In the next series, which will be about a group of circus workers, we've purposefully presented the subject of AIDS. The hope is that by introducing an HIV-positive character, we will bring the subject to the forefront and spark public interest," Sabatini said.

AIDS is the second leading cause of death for men in Santiago between ages 20 and 44, according to the Health Ministry. Public knowledge about the disease, however, is limited.

This year marked the first government-sponsored HIV/AIDS prevention campaign since 1997. Publicity is limited in scope and some of the biggest media sources in the country, including the Catholic university's television and radio stations and the influential newspaper El Mercurio, have refused to run some of the campaign's ads because they promote condom use.

Although the campaign was launched more than two weeks ago, many critics note it has not been very visible.

In a country where condom sales have actually decreased 10 percent since 1997 and the number of AIDS cases has grown steadily, ignoring the issue of sexual health could be dangerous.

Sabatini hopes bringing an HIV-positive character into the living rooms of Chileans will at least begin the process of bringing a serious discussion about the disease onto the political agenda.

Sabatini is known for introducing controversial subjects in his productions, a rare trait in this conservative country. The director's television dramas consistently rank among Chilean favorites.

In one of Sabatini's recent series, Romane, the director ignited controversy when he introduced a teenage character who became pregnant.

The character's struggle to decide whether or not to have an abortion was considered inappropriate because abortion is illegal in Chile.

In Chile, conservative activists are especially interested in subjects related to sexual relations and contraception. In August, the Supreme Court outlawed distribution of the morning after pill, an emergency contraceptive widely used throughout the world. While a second version of the pill was later approved by the Institute for Public Health, a conservative group of non-governmental organizations opposed to abortion already has filed a lawsuit to block sale of the drug.

Even the Health Ministry's attempt to revamp the sexual education program was foiled when the Catholic Church intervened, complaining the new program did not represent the values of most Chileans.

The new education program, entitled "Toward a Responsible Sexuality," was created in response to the alarming growth rates in the number of teenage pregnancies in Chile, which between 1999 and 2000 increased 37.8 percent.

A survey released in October by the National Youth Institute found 59.8 percent of Chileans between 15 and 18 years of age reported not having used any contraceptive in their most recent sexual relations. Yet the new pilot sex education campaign has been delayed by more than two months.

While there are 8,000 reported cases of AIDS in the country, it is estimated more than 30,000 Chileans carry the HIV virus. The Health Ministry estimates by 2005 some 5,000 Chileans will die of AIDS annually and by 2010 it will be the leading cause of death.

Many HIV/AIDS activists argue that the political clout enjoyed by the Catholic Church and other conservative organizations in Chile is disproportionate compared to organizations interested in promoting responsible sexual behavior. They say most national media sources refuse to address pertinent sexual issues such as HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancy.

Sabatini, however, said he would challenge this media culture. His new series will air in March 2002 and feature a cast of well-known Chilean actors.

"The Ministry of Health and other experts are interested in promoting condom use. I'm interested in opening people's minds," Sabatini said.

"What the Catholic Church says is valid, but it is only one opinion. There is no reason for this belief to be imposed on everyone. My objective is to increase tolerance and a diversity of thought about important social issues."

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