Hey Pope, Can I have a moment with you...

Pope Benedict XVI recently stated that condoms are not the answer to the AIDS epidemic in Africa and can make the problem worse. His comments have set off a firestorm among, even many Catholic clergy who have dedicated their lives to helping people living with HIV around the world. I understand the Catholic Church's positions on fidelity and its overall teaching against artificial contraception. However, to state that condoms actually worsen the problem is going too far. Leaders, like Pope Benedict, what they say. the AIDS epidemic is no ordinary health problem and it will take extraordinary efforts to win this battle. Here's hoping that the Pope wakes up and chooses his words more carefully.

I just read a sobering story about the first person to be convicted in Idaho of knowingly spreading the HIV virus. This gentlemen, a term which I use loosely, who has served two jail terms for the same offense, is now facing new charges for the same offense. A grand jury on Tuesday returned an indictment charging him with seven counts of knowingly transferring the HIV virus. He has already served two separate jail terms of 3 and 7 years respectively. I hope that they finally put this serial perpetrator away. However, lost in this story is the fact that people continue to have umprotected sex and place themselves at risk despite the publicity about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Know your HIV status, but also insist that your partners get tested as well.

The Power of Protest

On February 12, 2009, organized by a Washington D.C. -based labor group called Change to Win, BEBASHI, CHOICE and a number of other organizations and individuals protested in front of the CVS store at Broad St. and Girard Avenue against their practice of locking up their condoms in the in targeted areas where mainly people in poverty reside and/or in predominately African American areas. While BEBASHI recognizes the right of retailers to display their merchandise as they see fit, they should also take into consideration the communities where they have chosen to place their stores. In this case, with HIV ravaging low-income communities, especially among the young, this policy, while probably designed to limit theft, also serves to discourage shoppers for buying condoms if they have to track down a busy store employee to find a key. As a result of the protest, CVS now displays some condoms in more convenient areas in more stores.