The NY Times editorial differs from the Pope's view.
Asfan
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THE NEW YORK TIMES
Editorial
The Pope on Condoms and AIDS
Published: March 17, 2009
Pope Benedict XVI has every right to express his opposition to the use of
condoms on moral grounds, in accordance with the official stance of the Roman
Catholic Church. But he deserves no credence when he distorts scientific
findings about the value of condoms in slowing the spread of the AIDS virus..
As reported on Tuesday by journalists who accompanied the pope on his flight to
Africa, Benedict said that distribution of condoms would not resolve the AIDS
problem but, on the contrary, would aggravate or increase it. The first half of
his statement is clearly right. Condoms alone won’t stop the spread of H.I.V.,
the virus that causes AIDS. Campaigns to reduce the number of sexual partners,
safer-sex practices and other programs are needed to bring the disease to heel.
But the second half of his statement is grievously wrong. There is no evidence
that condom use is aggravating the epidemic and considerable evidence that
condoms, though no panacea, can be helpful in many circumstances.
>From an individual’s point of view, condoms work very well in preventing
>transmission of the AIDS virus from infected to uninfected people. The Centers
>for Disease Control and Prevention cites “comprehensive and conclusive”
>evidence that latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, are “highly
>effective” in preventing heterosexual transmission of the virus that causes
>AIDS. The most recent meta-analysis of the best studies, published by the
>respected Cochrane Collaboration, concluded that condoms can reduce the
>transmission of the AIDS virus by 80 percent.
However, both groups warned that condom use cannot provide absolute protection.
Condoms sometimes break, slip or are put on incorrectly. The best way to avoid
transmission of the virus is to abstain from sexual intercourse or have a
long-term mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected person.
>From a national perspective, condom promotion has been effective in slowing
>epidemics in several countries among high-risk groups, such as sex workers and
>their customers, but less effective in slowing epidemics that have spread into
>the general population, as in much of sub-Saharan Africa. That is probably
>because far too few people use condoms consistently and correctly.
Even so, health authorities consider condoms a valuable component of any
well-rounded program to prevent the spread of AIDS. It seems irresponsible to
blame condoms for making the epidemic worse.
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