DO PROGRAMMES that promote sexual abstinence help cut HIV rates? The question matters, because the US government says they do and directs its funding accordingly. But when Kristen Underhill's team at the University of Oxford, UK, examined the literature, they found that almost all the evidence suggests not.
They studied 13 trials of US-based abstinence programmes and found that none helped to reduce the incidence of unprotected sex or cut the number of partners that young people slept with (BMJ, vol 335, p 248). A similar lack of success has already been found in abstinence projects in developing countries.
The paper is the second knock to US HIV/AIDS policy in recent weeks. The government also requires that the organisations it funds sign a pledge saying they oppose prostitution. HIV/AIDS organisations say this means they stigmatise groups they are meant to be helping and point towards a recent review which found that HIV programmes that target sex workers are effective in cutting infection rates (PLoS Medicine, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0040207).
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Have your say
It Is Really Good To See Abstinence Programmes At Your Place,when We Lack It.
Tue Apr 15 18:18:28 BST 2008 by Shailesh
I am from India.
Entire history of world tells that <b>Pure Abstinence</b> is not a virtue for a common man. Because it is about refraining
from the strongest impulse in mankind.
Our philosophy tells that it is a divine virtue attained rarely by 1 person in 100s of million (be it man or woman). And
practicing it requires addtional sacrifices from humanly lustful acts. Be it wealth, money, status,objects to satisfy
ego..etc...
Thus it has got some spritual bent as well. One needs help of many techniques, practises like yogasanas,
Pranayams(<b>Meditation</b>) to name a few.
And one thing which I can assure you (if you could believe me) that even a single step taken in this direction can uplift a
human being to greater heigts. The unexpected dire results which peoples in Texas are getting could be due to lack of
awareness for meditation and other such practices.
Such efforts intended to purify the human charecter must be appreciated.
But only invesment of money won't accomplish this task. You must really know how to go about it.
And last but not the least, people would definitely ask whether this kind of abstinence would really enrich thier lives in
any way. Because they would like to go on with the existing social practices. Why change something if does not have any
drawback..But the truth is that <b>Abstinence</b> is a a very high virtue.
Don't believe in it?? Here is a name with you must be familiar with. And was a perfect celibate..
The Great Indian Sage - <b>"SWAMI vIVEKANAND"</b>
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