-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Read V.M. de Malar's latest Column: | | | | Politics of Destruction | | | | http://www.goanet.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=416 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Thu Mar 23 07:47:12 PST 2006 Elisabeth Carvalho wrote:
> However, I don't think an AIDS test is a deterrent to post- > marital sex. These men will visit prostitutes after they get > married and will infect their wives. That much we can be sure > off. RESPONSE: A tad-bit presumptious but I understand "These men" is a reference to "Goan motorcycle pilots" that were earlier referenced by Gilbert. You don't appear to see any merit in the Government's requirement to encourage couples to take a pre-marital HIV test. These same couples may have indulged in pre-marital sex with each other and/or several partners and in doing so may already be HIV+. If HIV+ people are treated at government-run hospitals like the GMC, it's the average Goan who has to pay for the treatment via their taxes. If the relationship results in children, who are in turn HIV+ - that becomes a social problem now. There is an NGO in Goa that looks after such kids. The name fails me now. Maybe Tony Barros can help me out. Why do priests send prospective brides and grooms to marriage counselling courses ? Would that be seen as an invasion of privacy too? Why do some employers ensure their newly-hired employees go through a thorough medical exam ?? Who bears the cost of treatment when employees fall ill? What about the cost of absence from work ? Why do Goans and others go thru a battery of tests before getting that visa stamped on their passport to the desert kingdoms of the Gulf ?? Again, those governments do not want to bear the cost of treating an individual who is HIV+ or has (had) TB at some time. Read about the plight of this Indian: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=138806&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=29003 Yes, people in the pathology biz will make a quick buck and probably some at the marriage registrar offices too. Yes, education is the best means to handle the HIV epidemic. Is success tangible in a society like India where literacy levels vary and HIV infections are exploding to epidemic levels. Living in Toronto in 2003 when SARS broke out, people of all stripes were scared. Even the ArchBishop sent out an order that the faithful should not exchange the sign of peace during Mass, mind you after sitting/standing for 45 mins next to the same person. Didn't make sense then, does not make sense now. Best - Bosco T-dot, CA ----------------------------------------------------------- March 24 - World Tuberculosis Day - The bigger killer http://www.dailyindia.com/show/11302.php/Tuberculosis_hampering_countrys_economy(March_24_is_World_Tuberculosis_Day)