It seems a UN official is criticizing the U.S. and Bush administration for
a shortage of condoms in the African country of Uganda. I was about to
ask why Uganda doesn't produce its own condoms, but then learned they did
but the brand had to be recalled because of poor quality. Then the
Ugandan government levied a tax on imported condoms, so of course all of
this is America's fault.
The article said that Uganda had around 30 million condoms and needed
another 100 million or so for year's supply. The article referred to
private market condoms in Uganda selling for US$0.54 for a package of
three. $0.54 / 3 = $0.18 * 100,000,000 = $18,000,000. That's right,
*** $18 MILLION DOLLARS *** and poor Uganda can't even afford that, it
is America's responsibility to provide free condoms for Ugandans.
Aside from evil America's refusal to supply enough condoms, we are
also at fault because the Bush policy is to encourage abstinence, and
even though we still provide condoms the Africans apparently hear us
say "abstinence" and that makes them have sex without condoms. Of
course it is simply inconceivable that Uganda would simply PURCHASE
$18 million worth of condoms so it doesn't have to listen to America
lecture it on morality. And apparently the BushAdmin policy is
named "ABC" for "Abstinence, Be Faithful, and Use Condoms," so
condoms aren't discouraged by U.S. policy as the leftist critics are
claiming as the reason for Uganda's condom shortage.
And the article in the San Francisco Chronicle (08-30-2005) mentions
that "the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a
public-private partnership based in Geneva, suspended $201 million
in grants to Uganda because of government mismanagement." The
reference to "mismanagement" is of course a polite euphemism for
"siphoned into secret Swiss bank accounts." Uganda needs $20mil
in condoms and can't afford it, apparently had been receiving
hundreds of millions of dollars in USA, UN, and other financial
aid and still couldn't help not stealing that last $20 million so
now they have no condoms and of course it is all America's fault!
It's not politically correct to point out other countries'
corruption, here is the quote that got the last U.S. Secretary
of Treasury fired a few years ago:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"[Uruguay and Brazil] are important friends and allies of the United
States, and principally they need to put in place policies that will
assure that as assistance money comes, that it does some good, and it
doesn't just go out of the country to Swiss bank accounts."
-- (Former) U.S. Secretary of Treasury Paul O'Neill; July 28, 2002
---------------------------------------------------------------------
It's not all America's fault--but Bush DOES try to cause as much
suffering and death in the world as he possibly can.
Preventing condom access in Uganda is just yet another way he helps to
murder people by pushing the idiotic "abstinence only" notion through
PEPFAR bribes and corruption.
Abstinence is fine. Delayed debut is fine. Monogamy is fine (but
dicey). Good public policy means CONDOMS are necessary too.
Condoms ARE moral.
George M. Carter
**
ACT UP New York | African Services Committee | Health GAP (Global
Access Project)
PRESS RELEASE
For Release: August 30, 2005
CONTACT: Sharonann Lynch - 646.645.5225; Aaron Boyle - 917.621.6667
AIDS ACTIVIST PROTEST UGANDA'S CONDOM SHORTAGE: CALLS FOR GOVERNMENT
TO UNLOCK THE CONDOMS AND REJECT ABSTINENCE ONLY APPROACHES
AIDS activists protest at Ugandan Mission to the United Nations as
Uganda's much-lauded HIV prevention program erodes into U.S. financed
abstinence-until-marriage approaches.
(Manhattan) A coalition of AIDS activists held a demonstration in
midtown Manhattan outside of the Ugandan Permanent Mission to the
United Nations today to bring attention to that nation's severe condom
shortage which is putting people at dangerous risk of HIV infection.
The crisis has developed over the past ten months as the government of
Uganda has stopped its robust program of public sector condom
distribution. These condoms previously accounted for 80% of condoms
available in the country.
50 activists delivered a giant key to Mission officials labeled:
"Unlock the condoms. Unlock the truth: Condoms Wor.² Responding to
media reports yesterday, the Ministry of Health denied the condom
shortage exists.
Since May 2004, new shipments--some 30 million quality-approved
condoms--have been sitting in government warehouses. Activists are
demanding to know why, nearly a year into the shortage, health clinics
are still unsupplied and the government is refusing to state when or
how they will distribute the condoms. "This crisis could have been
averted by the government long ago. The condoms are there, but what
is in woeful shortage is the political will of Ugandan leaders to
distribute them and promote condom use," said Sharonann Lynch of
Health GAP.
"This apparent 'Zero Condom Policy' of Uganda marks another alarming
shift away from the government's established HIV prevention approaches
which have been at work since the early 1980's," said Aaron Boyle of
Health GAP. Uganda was able to achieve a significant drop in HIV
prevalence from 15% to 6% over the past two decades, which many
experts attribute to comprehensive prevention efforts, including
social promotion of condoms. Now activists in Uganda say the program
has been overtaken by abstinence-until-marriage approaches as
President Yoweri Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni are aligning
Uganda's policies with the ideology touted--and financed--by the
United States government.
Uganda is a country receiving funds from the President Bush's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The program requires a
minimum of 33% of its prevention funds to be used for
abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, and limits the distribution
of condoms to specific high-risk groups. "The strident prevention
politics tied to the Bush administration's AIDS funding are
undermining sound prevention in the name of abstinence-only
approaches. Scientific studies have shown the inadequacy of such
methods, and President Museveni is neglecting the public health of
Ugandans by bowing to Bush's pressure." said Eustacia Smith of ACT UP.
Today's protesters, including members of ACT UP New York, African
Services Committee, the Bondala group of Harlem United, Health GAP,
are demanding the release of condoms and a return to condoms as an
integral and effective prevention strategy in Uganda's HIV/AIDS
program.
Note for editors: 1. For a transcript from an international
teleconference for journalists about the Uganda condom shortage held
Monday, August 29 with Beatrice Were of ActionAid Uganda and Health
Rights Action Group, Zackie Achmat of Treatment Action Campaign, UN
Special Envoy on AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis, and Jodi Jacobson of
the Center for Health and Gender Equity, contact Sharonann Lynch at
salynch@healthgap.org 1. Photographs from todayıs protest will be
made available at http://www.genderhealth.org/uganda.php 1. In late
2004, the Government recalled Engabu brand condoms, causing an
immediate crisis in condom supplies. This crisis has deepened as the
Government of Uganda has failed to replenish condom stocks and as
attacks on the Engabu brand have eroded public confidence in the brand
and in condoms generally. For additional background information see
³Fighting to close the condom gap in Uganda,² The Lancet, Vol 365
March 26, 2005.1127. Available at:
http://www.genderhealth.org/pubs/Lancet0305.pdf
ENDS
