AIDS Pandemic calls for Redefinition of Basic Ethical Questions

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AIDS Pandemic calls for Redefinition of Basic Ethical Questions

At the International AIDS conference, Bishop Bernard Moras, Catholic Bishop of

Belgaum, Karnataka, who is a priest for 36 years and a bishop for 7 Years and

Chairman of Catholic Bishops Conference of India health care commission regards

the use of condoms as a decline in morality, particularly as people can be

deluded into thinking they are safe. This opinion was shared by Shri Satkari

Mukhopadhyaya, a Hindu, and Sheikh el-Bastawisi, a Muslim religious leader

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AIDS Pandemic calls for Redefinition of Basic Ethical Questions Norwegian Bishop

Staalsett: " We are not doing enough "

BANGKOK, Thailand/GENEVA, 21 July 2004 (LWI) - At the 15th International AIDS

Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Norwegian Bishop Gunnar Staalsett has called

for inter-faith cooperation to rethink basic ethical issues, given the record

number of just under 40 million worldwide who are infected with HIV/AIDS.

Social and sexual morality was formulated in an age before the AIDS pandemic,

said Staalsett, Bishop of Oslo, during a panel discussion organized by the

Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA). The conference took place 11- 16 July.

Staalsett, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) from 1985 to

1994, stressed, in view of the rising number of newly infected people, " We are

not doing enough. " He called the situation a " crime against society. " Religions

need to overcome their differences, according to the theologian and, in the new

era of AIDS, make a joint effort to establish a new basis for sexual morality.

Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called Staalsett's

initiative a " thoughtful and self-critical position, " which should be discussed

among the religious communities. Bishop Staalsett commented on the conflict

regarding the so-called ABC program ( " Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms " ) in

the context of AIDS prevention. He recommended the program, stating that it was

necessary to discard the view that using condoms was wrong. He favored

recommending all three elements of the ABC program and not

just the first two.

The disagreement between advocates and opponents of campaigns to promote the use

of condoms was intensified in Bangkok by statements from Ugandan President

Yoweri Museveni. He warned against seeing the use of condoms as the ultimate

solution for the AIDS problem. His view that abstinence and marital fidelity

were more effective methods was seen as encouraging abstinence campaigns

promoted by the US government. This one-sided focus on abstinence provoked

protests by many doctors and AIDS activists who want to promote all three

elements of the ABC program.

In criticizing Museveni's statements, recommended keeping a sense

of reality, noting that more married women were infected than unmarried women.

Anglican Bishop Canon Gideon Byamugisha from Uganda was also disappointed by the

statements of his president. Religious leaders in Uganda have promoted all three

elements of the ABC program, emphasized the bishop, who himself is HIV-positive.

Museveni is ignoring what has been happening, he said, pointing out that 61

percent of HIV-infected women in Africa have

been in monogamous relationships.

" They are faithful, but still infected. "

On the question of promoting the use of condoms, there was a difference of

opinion among the representatives of various religions. Catholic Bishop Bernard

Moras from India regards the use of condoms as a decline in morality,

particularly as people can be deluded into thinking they are safe. This opinion

was shared by Shri Satkari Mukhopadhyaya, a Hindu, and Sheikh el-Bastawisi,

a Muslim. A Buddhist representative, Phramaha Boonchuay Doojai, did

not comment on this point during the panel discussion..

Sonja Weinreich from the German Institute for Medical Mission told the

conference that, while no one denies that abstinence makes sense, it cannot

always be guaranteed. Many experts and women's representatives at the

International AIDS Conference warned against the " illusion of fidelity, " stating

that a growing number of women have been infected by their unfaithful husbands.

Panel members unanimously deplored the prevalence of stigmatization and

discrimination in society, leading people to conceal the illness out of shame

and to avoid going for treatment or even testing. This has caused unnecessary

loss of human life, Byamugisha stressed. Religions should therefore resist

prejudice against HIV-infected persons, and provide care and support.

At this 15th International AIDS Conference, religious representatives wished to

have a common statement, committing themselves to increase their efforts in the

fight against the AIDS pandemic. In addition to prevention, their main concerns

are care, support and treatment for people with HIV/AIDS.

One of the focal points of the Bangkok conference was the AIDS pandemic in Asia

where, according to UN information, the virus is spreading rapidly and has now

infected 7.4 million people. This is just under 20 percent of the worldwide

total of people living with HIV/AIDS. AIDS is more than a health crisis and is

thus a danger, which should be addressed by the highest governmental decision

makers, stressed UN Secretary General Kofi n when opening the conference.

(By Rainer Lang, Stuttgart)

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