Abstinence vs. Safe Sex Program in the Battle Against HIV Essay Sample

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Introduction

Part of the day-to-day lives of people is the changeless battle to threats that surrounds this puzzling universe. Partss of world’s world are diseases that have the capacity to destruct people’s being. Peoples continue to be puzzled on some things that even until today. they are still happening replies. The universe is presently confronting a long term conflict against an infection called HIV/AIDS. This infection caused over 22 million people to decease since its symptoms were foremost reported. The figure of human death due to HIV infection is high and still turning.

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To decline the affair. it was stated that “over 42 million people are populating with HIV/AIDS. and 74 per centum of these septic people live in sub-Saharan Africa” ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. until. org/statistics. shtml ) . As estimated in present clip. more than 19 million adult females are infected with HIV/AIDS and when the twelvemonth 2010 arrives. in states Ethiopia. Nigeria. China. India. and Russia as holding the world’s 40 per centum population will bring forth 50 to 70 million of septic people. The universe state of affairs will decline and if the spread will non be stopped. it might eliminate human being. This is how serious this conflict against HIV infection is.

Another chilling thing to get down is the world that an estimated 14. 000 of people is freshly infected mundane and the figure will maintain on mounting. Ninety five per centum ( 95 % ) of infections are seen as coming from developing and 3rd universe states. Further danger perceived. “half of the 5 million new infections each twelvemonth happening among people ages 15 to 24 and the UN estimates that. presently. there are 14 million AIDS orphans and that by 2010 there will be 25 million. ” ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. until. org/statistics. shtml ) .

In the United States entirely. one million people are presently populating with the HIV infection and tallied 40. 000 new infections every twelvemonth. In the listed new HIV infections in the United States every twelvemonth. 70 per centum are on work forces and 30 per centum are on adult females. “By race. 54 per centum of the new infections in the United States occur among African Americans. and 64 per centum of the new infections in adult females occur in African American adult females and 75 per centum of the new infections in adult females are heterosexually transmitted. Half of all new infections in the United States occur in people 25 old ages of age or younger” ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. until. org/statistics. shtml ) . This is a sad world that the American people are confronting today.

HIV/AIDS symptoms were foremost noticed in the twelvemonth 1959 but there were no official dictum of the disease because the disease is still on its babyhood phase. In 1978. “gay work forces from US and Sweden and straight persons in Tanzania and Haiti begin demoing marks of what will subsequently be called AIDS” ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. auspices. com/topics/timeline/default. asp ) . In October 1980 to May 1981. five work forces of immature age were reported to hold shown symptoms of the disease. Two of them died. With increasing figure of the same instances. in the twelvemonth 1982. July 27Thursdayto be exact. the term AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome was foremost used. In 1983. the virus doing the symptoms was found and called HIV but even of the increasing figure of infections. the term AIDS was non mentioned in public yet.

In 1985. the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the first HIV antibody proving and the first international conference on AIDS was conducted in Atlanta and it was documented that President Ronald Reagan had foremost used the term AIDS in the public eyes. In 1986. there was a call for sex instruction as a portion to battle AIDS. In 1987. it was so documented that the first drug in combating HIV was foremost approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and in the same twelvemonth. the United States closed its door to immigrants and state visitors’ positive of the HIV virus. It was besides on the same twelvemonth that President Ronald Reagan the term public enemy figure one to HIV/AIDS and a call was made in order for everyone to be medically tested.

In 1988. the “US bans favoritism against federal workers with HIV” ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. auspices. com/topics/timeline/default. asp ) . In the succeeding old ages. scientific research on HIV/AIDS was duplicating its attempt. It has besides been documented that the rubbers for adult females was approved in 1993. Until today. the run to forestall HIV/AIDS and the hunt to happen its remedy is intensified. The universe needs bar and the remedy of this infection. Finding a solution to the job is non merely the triumph of one state. It will be the triumph of all world.

In this paper. we will seek to analyze two different attacks in the run to forestall HIV/AIDS viz. : The Abstinence Program and The Safe sex Program. We will seek to compare the efficiency of the two plans and seek to reason in the terminal on what type of plan can be the best manner in forestalling the spread of HIV/AIDS. In this sense. we can even do an attack on the battle against the spread of HIV/AIDS.

UNDERSTANDING THE TARGETED BENEFIARIES OF THE PROGRAMS

Let us seek to analyze the experiences and current provinces of personal businesss of the people that must profit from HIV bar program- the young person and the grownups.

Adolescence is fundamentally the transitional phase of development between childhood and maturity. It represents the period of clip during which a individual experiences a assortment of biological alterations and encounters a figure of emotional issues. This involves biological ( i. e. pubertal ) . societal. and psychological alterations. though the biological 1s are the easiest to mensurate objectively. Considered as a passage from being a kid to an grownup. many consider this phase as really important and should be dealt with decently. Adolescence Psychology. for case. seeks to turn to issues refering this phase since this is deemed to be the most of import phase in the development of a human being. It is where a human being is molded.

The ages of adolescence vary by civilization. The World Health Organization ( WHO ) defines adolescence as the period of life between 10 and 19 old ages of age. But in the United States. adolescence is by and large considered to get down someplace between ages 12 and 14. and stop at 19 or 20. As distinguishable from the varied readings of who is considered an “adolescent” . the word “teenager” is more easy defined: it describes a individual who is 13 to 19 old ages of age. One major alteration is that which involves animalism of the individual. This is termed as pubescence. It refers to the period where one’s organic structure alterations from a child’s to an adult’s. and becomes biologically ready to make a babe. This is a procedure that takes several old ages. The age at which you foremost notice alterations in your organic structure and feelings varies from individual to individual. More psychologist claim that it normally starts earlier in misss than in male childs.

One major and common issue in the context of stripling and pubescence is the engagement in sexual activity. The physical alterations due to pubescences are straight linked to an involvement in sexual activities. A caution though. sexual brushs of striplings do non go on out of a romantic relationship. but in a mere impersonal context. besides conversationally known as “hook up. ” This impersonality has become really common in this 20th century. triggered by the cascading degree of communicating and consciousness amongst adolescents.

As striplings are non mentally or emotionally prepared to manage feelings and emotions that come with sex. nor financially able to back up kids. this phenomenon has been besides proved to be damaging to the lives of these striplings. The harmful sense of this is specifically true for misss. A survey in 2003 reveals that 89 % of misss reported to hold been pressured by male childs to hold sex. Girls tend to go affiliated to a male child before prosecuting in sexual activities because it makes the experience more asleep to them. In this context. it can be said that a miss is more likely to experience used and abused after a typical and impersonal sexual activity. Boys. on the other manus. are less likely to see sex as connected to an emotional relationship.

Looking at the current provinces of personal businesss. “in the United States. divorce rate has been traveling up throughout the 20Thursdaycentury but easy went down after its extremum in the 1970’s. In present informations. divorce rate for adult females over the age of 15 is 20 for every 1000. Statisticss says that 29 % of re- married adult females had been re- divorced and census undertakings that 40 % of 2nd matrimonies will stop in divorce. In every industrialised state in the universe. divorce rate has been surging high. ” ( missourifamilies. org )

Divorce becomes a common and normal phenomenon is the United States and around the universe. It becomes an flight for people who are married and non desiring to execute and work hard for their responsibility which is embedded in matrimony. Alternatively. of working difficult to carry through their function. they prefer to happen another spouse. This is besides a signifier of irresponsibleness. Peoples tend to get away and pretermit their duty as a portion of a matrimony. “Common grounds for divorce are the failed outlooks and the unmet demands. dependence and substance maltreatment. physical. sexual and emotional maltreatment and deficiency of struggle declaration skills” ( Fagan. 1997 ) . Again. it is another manifestation of a morally corrupting universe.

Child maltreatment and partner maltreatment is besides going a common phenomenon. “Ninety five per centum ( 95 % ) of victims of domestic force are adult females. A adult female is assaulted and beaten every 9 seconds in the United States. Every twelvemonth. 4. 000. 000 adult females are assaulted by their spouses. Four ( 4 ) adult females are murdered by their fellows or hubbies and 20 five ( 25 % ) per centum of all offense is married woman assault” ( Department of Justice ) . “Far excessively many kids are severely abused in the United States today. This is a upseting fact” ( Fagan. 1997 ) . “Every 10 seconds. there is a study of child maltreatment in the United States. Everyday. four ( 4 ) kids die from maltreatment. Three ( 3 ) out of four of these kids who dies everyday are under the age of four. Ninety ( 90 ) per centum of less than twelve old ages old who were victims of colza or sexual assault knew the culprits. ” ( childhelpusa. org )

The ascent in child maltreatment rate is a really distressing figure in the eyes of the populace. Statisticss show that there is truly decay in households. a world which is really rampant and difficult to battle with. All states around the universe suffer from this societal disease. No state is immune from the inevitable effects of such job. This slowly erases the traditional civilization and values of society endowed by our sires. Society is on its disintegrating province and people tend to besides disintegrate in the procedure and throw away their lives.

Basically. striplings have already the high hazard of being infected by HIV/AIDS because portion of what they experience in life is the sexual development and the enticement of the opposite sex. Sexual activity endocrines are portion of the body’s mechanisms. This state of affairs so becomes one of the barriers in the success to forestall HIV/AIDS widespread. On the other manus. portion of today’s society is the world of many divorce and maltreatment instances that contributes to people’s moral ruin. Many work forces and adult females find satisfaction in different sexual spouses and many are put in a state of affairs to hold many sexual spouses because of matrimony dislocation as stated above. Sometimes people get into a place which they can non command. These inexorable factors do non merely occur in the United States but besides in different states all over the universe. There is a fast decay in morality all over the universe.

Given the provinces of personal businesss. can plans such as abstention and safe sex in forestalling the spread of HIV/AIDS truly do win?

THE ABSTINENCE PROGRAM IN RELATION TO SAFE SEX PROGRAM

Basically. abstention plan is characterized by the rule of non affecting oneself into sexual activities prior to matrimony. It besides preaches the rule of monogamousness as a agency to forestall the widespread of HIV/AIDS. Abstinence plan against HIV/AIDS is largely held by conservative and spiritual groups. the groups that preach moral dominance. The issue on HIV/AIDS is looked upon as far beyond medical exigency. He broad spread of HIV/AIDS is viewed as a merchandise of moral debasement among people. Peoples tend to make off from the existent kernel of being. They tend to be more enticed on the offerings of the material universe. Work force must be work forces of concern and duty towards the universe and other people. The universe state of affairs merely like the spread of HIV/AIDS demands immediate stairss to guarantee the prosperity of men’s lives in the universe.

Work force must be exemplar of good judgement by taking conjunct and positive actions act upon the immoralities of devastation and disputes to stop. They must be theoretical accounts and idols of good workss. Work force should therefore do concrete stairss in turn toing the jobs of the universe. Since their judgement is frequently followed due to its soundness. they must exert the same responsibly in order to further order and pureness in the community. This is imperative in the changing universe today. We need work forces of good values and rules. They should non exert the same merely to be subservient to their empty desires for power. wealth and popularity. Men must populate a life in absence of material yearnings and lubricious desires. These basic rules of goodness are keys in the battle against HIV/AIDS.

But given the intended audience we have which their lives are capable to different sociological and psychological battles. will this sort of plan advancement and be successful?

Basically. Abstinence plan that battles HIV/AIDS infection has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of Abstinence plan resides on its higher opportunity of being non infected due to the basic rule of non holding sex before matrimony. Compared to the run to utilize rubbers. “latex rubbers are non a complete solution to HIV/AIDS. but they provide an basically impermeable barrier to HIV pathogens and if used systematically cut down the hazard of HIV transmittal by 80-90 percent”

( hypertext transfer protocol: //hrw. org/reports/2005/uganda0305/7. htm ) . This means that abstention plan can offer 100 % decrease of hazard while the usage of rubber gives merely 80-90 % in geting HIV infection by sexual intercourse.

Another advantage of the abstention plan is the fact that it addresses the nucleus and root of the job. The HIV/AIDS spread throughout the universe is once more non merely a medical battle but a conflict in a bigger range. It is a conflict against moral debasement. Abstinence is viewed to turn to the job in its chief root because abstention in sex before matrimony and monogamousness are basic moral rules that is ought to be by all people. Peoples are all edge to the moral Torahs because these moral Torahs are cosmopolitan and merchandise of people’s rationalisation and deep thought.

In the abstention plan. people are non merely learning immature people and grownups on how to forestall the spread of HIV/AIDS infection but they are besides instilling to the whole universe the value of moral rules that at the terminal of the twenty-four hours. if people will remain on the way of morality. they will non be in injury. Goodness will ever be rewarded with good things and evil will ever be rewarded with evil things. As a affair of fact. there was a success in the moral facet of Abstinence plan in Uganda as seen in some surveies. “Levels of monogamousness increased. Sexually active work forces and adult females of all ages. peculiarly the single. were less likely to hold more than one sexual spouse in a 12-month period in 1995 than in 1989” ( Cohen. 2003 ) . Peoples in Uganda seem to hold absorbed the moral rules intertwined with the instruction of abstention from sex plan. The consequence is really sweet.

Cardinal Wilfred Napier said that the success of HIV/AIDS bar in Uganda was due to the fact that people returned to moral values. He even added that Uganda must be set as an illustration to other states. “Among public wellness experts. it is by now by and large agreed that during the critical clip period between the late 1980s and mid-1990s. positive alterations in behaviours occurred and that all of these alterations played a function in cut downing HIV rates. Uganda’s HIV prevalence steadily increased until about 1991. when it peaked at about 15 % ( 30 % among pregnant adult females in urban countries ) . It so turned aggressively downward through the mid-1990s and reached 5 % ( 14 % for pregnant urban adult females ) by 2001” ( Cohen. 2003 ) .

On the other manus. one disadvantage of Abstinence plan against HIV infection is in confronting the current provinces of personal businesss of people that make sex as merely portion of life and it is normal to most people to hold multiple sexual spouses. Moral rules seem non to work any longer in this present clip. The strong influence of the Abstinence plan in the battle against AIDS is limited to bosom of the conservativists and spiritual groups. It has a difficult clip doing its impact on delinquent teens and grownups and to most people who spent their lives off from moral rules as a merchandise of being a victim of this material universe.

Abstinence plan goes along with the message to hold a monogamous type of a relationship besides has its difficult clip perforating most of people who experienced divorce and separation. Divorce and separation as stated in the old portion of this paper is in its high figure non merely in the United States but all over the universe. In many instances. monogamousness is non applicable. The hearers of the Abstinence plan are slightly limited to the spiritual and conservative groups therefore amidst its effectivity in Uganda. there is still a deficiency in the plan.

Safe sex plan is fundamentally advancing the usage of rubbers in order non to acquire infected by HIV/AIDS. This is a liberated attack in the battle against HIV infection. This is besides perceived by others as a much more realistic attack to world in which many people tend non to be influenced any longer by moral rules. Work force and adult females do desire sex as portion of their lives. This is true in most of human existences. We can non deny the fact that a sexual thrust is present in all of us. This thrust is present in every individual is the 1 that is being addressed by the Safe sex plan in combating the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Although Abstinence plan in Uganda succeeded. the general success in the battle against HIV/AIDS was non achieved if without the run of safe sex. “Condom usage rose steeply among single sexually active work forces and adult females. Among single adult females who had had sex in the last four hebdomads. the proportion who used rubbers at last intercourse rose from 1 % in 1989 to 14 % in 1995 ; among single work forces. rubber usage rose from 2 % to 22 % ” ( Cohen. 2003 ) . Although holding opposition from assorted groups in Uganda. safe sex motion was besides making its run. This research consequence is a testimony sufficiency that Safe sex plan in Uganda besides flourished.

Analyzing the issue more. neglecting to instill moral rules is the disadvantage of the Safe sex plan. It is sometimes viewed by many conservativists and sectors of the church to be advancing sex before matrimony because it does non allow people halt prosecuting in sexual activities. It merely teaches people how to be safe in sexual activities. Many asserts that there is no demand for protection by utilizing rubbers if people are merely educated good with moral rules. This is the chief premiss of the Abstinence plan in contending HIV widespread. In order to forestall the widespread. moral debasement must foremost be stopped. The root of the job must be first destroyed.

Even of holding infinite resistance. the calls to hold sex instruction plan that will travel manus in manus with the Abstinence plan are still at that place. “In the United States. The American Medical Association. the American Academy of Pediatrics. the American Public Health Association. and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists all support comprehensive sex instruction plans that encourage abstention while besides supplying striplings with information on how to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases” ( Kaplan. 2002 ) . It merely means that many experts view the combination of the two plans effectual and it will be more good to all if the said effectivity will be put into a universe broad graduated table.

Unifying THE TWO PROGRAMS

Looking at the advantages and disadvantages of the two plans that aim to forestall the spread of HIV/AIDS infection. it is of great benefit to the universe and to the battle against HIV to unify the two plans. After intense scrutiny of the two plans. a call arises to unify the two plans in order to be more effectual in the run against the spread of HIV infection among people. Abstinence plan and Safe Sex plan complement each other. In unifying the two plans. we can happen a more complete plan. As discussed in the old portion of this paper. Abstinence plan is non merely an reply for HIV infection but besides an reply to the degrading moral position of the whole universe but since sex becomes a common experience for the liberated people. it is difficult to prophesy abstention and monogamousness presents.

Society is much degraded morally that bulk of the people will happen a difficult clip accepting abstention. Partnered with safe sex plan. we can hold a more successful run because the sort of people that Abstinence plan can’t range. can now be reached with the safe sex method. When we look at the US context where society is characterized by delinquency. safe sex plan will be a good spouse of the abstention plan. The combination of the two plans merely expands its skyline in footings of turn toing different types of people particularly in holding a run against HIV around the universe. The combined plan will be flexible adequate to farther increase the current diminution of HIV infections.

There are besides some jobs in unifying the two plans such as seen in Texas. “Texas’ committedness to abstinence-only plans has infected other beginnings of HIV/AIDS bar information by curtailing entree to experts on HIV/AIDS bar and by herding out other beginnings of HIV bar information. An HIV/AIDS pedagogue in McLennan County was told that she could non talk to pupils in an abstinence-only schoolroom about bar of HIV by utilizing rubbers. Many receivers of federal HIV bar money likewise provide limited or no information about rubbers in their HIV bar preparations

(hypertext transfer protocol: //hrw. org/english/docs/2002/09/18/usdom4291. htm) . It became evident that the presence of Abstinence plan impedes the advancement of the Safe sex plan. But we can non get away the world that the two plans should unify in order to provide the diverse sorts and groups of people.

Indeed. if two great plans intertwined together. it will be of better consequence. Abstinence plan. coupled with safe sex plan will ever be more successful than transporting out a single-dimensional plan. Just like in Uganda. Although Abstinence plan in Uganda succeeded. the general success in the battle against HIV/AIDS was non achieved if without the run of safe sex. Amidst the battle between the two different plans. the overall success against the spread of HIV infection was achieved. This is a true testimony that the two plans can work manus in manus amidst moral issues environing its execution and executing.

Decision

In the universe broad conflict and battle against HIV/AIDS infection widespread. the issue does non merely shack in the medical and wellness facet of people and the universe. The job in the HIV spread is far deeper. The job is all about moral debasement. Peoples in today’s universe seem to hold less attention of continuing great moral rules and values. Peoples tend to make off from the true kernel of life. They are really much in replying the call of the material universe. It is so true that the material universe is really alluring but people ever do hold a pick: the pick to be good and the pick to make evil. Peoples still have the opportunity to forestall farther spread of the disease but the clip to move is now. Delay is non an option any longer.

Given the world of people’s being. the current provinces of personal businesss they have. there is besides a demand to flexible in turn toing the jobs that governs the universe. With the presence of high delinquency among immature people and grownups. actions. particularly that run in forestalling the spread of HIV infection. there is a call to unify the different plans. Abstinence in unifying the Safe sex plan does non intend abandoning moral rules and values. It merely means that it has to do its ain forfeit for the improvement of everybody. Since Safe sex instruction besides promotes the public assistance of every people and it protects people from the harmful effects of HIV. it is still moral for the Abstinence side to unify. Indeed. if two great plans intertwined together. it will be of better consequence.

Abstinence plan. coupled with safe sex plan will ever be more successful than transporting out a single-dimensional plan. The meeting is the reply to provide the different sorts of people that needs aid. The unifying merely is a agency to a more successful run against HIV. Although arguments and issues will farther originate because Safe sex plan is viewed by many conservativists and sectors of the church to be advancing sex before matrimony because it does non learn people halt prosecuting in sexual activities. the benefit will ever be more than the battle in uniting the two plans.

Therefore. in the effort to farther lessening or even prevent the spread of HIV infection in the United States and the whole universe. there must be a mergence between Abstinence plan and Safe Sex plan. The two plans so is therefore the people’s key in winning the conflict against HIV/AIDS.

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