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Bishops claim condoms are porous, dare Cabral to debate


Claiming that any promotion of artificial contraceptives encourages sexual promiscuity, Catholic bishops have challenged Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral to a debate on the effectiveness of condoms in preventing the spread of disease and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Bishops have been intensifying their attacks on Cabral since she distributed condoms on Valentine's Day. Lipa (Batangas) Archbishop Ramon Arguelles and Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. also accused the Department of Health (DOH) of hiding the truth about condom failures. In an article on the Union of Catholic Asian News website, Arguelles said CBCP lawyer Jo Aurea Imbong and pro-life activist Dr. Ligaya Acosta could present data in the debate. Arguelles is vice chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL). Last month, Catholic bishops demanded Cabral’s resignation after the Health Department distributed condoms during Valentine’s Day. The DOH said this was to prevent HIV-AIDS infection. But Cabral shot back, saying there is a separation of Church and State. She also said the Church is partly to blame for blocking AIDS-prevention efforts. “Masasabi ko na bigo dahil di kumpleto ang ating programa dahil sa malaking pagtutol ng sektor ng simbahan sa third component sa prevention ng HIV-AIDS, at ito ang paggamit ng condom (I can say our program to prevent HIV-AIDS because the Church is blocking the third component of our program, which is to encourage the use of condoms)," Cabral said in a radio interview. Withholding info Acosta – a former DOH official and now executive director of Human Life International – claimed the DOH is not telling the whole truth about condom use. She claimed surveys of the United Nations and International Planned Parenthood Foundation show that condom is only 70-percent effective in preventing sexually transmitted disease. “According to several surveys, 30-35 percent of latex condoms allowed sperm to get through and the HIV virus is 450 times smaller," Acosta said. She said the testing of condoms was conducted under unreal conditions that do not provide for the impact of hard physical sex. Prolonged usage actually increases the possibility of HIV cases, she added. But UN family planning experts refuted her claims. “The fact is that when condoms are properly used, in conjunction with programs encouraging abstinence and fidelity to one partner, they provide effective protection against HIV/AIDS transmission," Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, executive director of the UN Population Fund, had said in response to previous Vatican claims that condoms do not protect people from HIV. Acosta also criticized the DOH’s approach of preventing HIV by teaching abstinence, faithfulness of spouses as well as condom use. “If you use a condom and you do not have to worry about HIV, why would you need A and B?" she said, referring to DOH’s ABC (abstinence, be faithful, condom use) of HIV prevention. She criticized strategies such as the United Nations Program on AIDS/HIV, which she said were pouring millions of dollars to push their “anti-life agenda." Acosta ‘sympathizes’ with Cabral Acosta, in an interview on Church-run Radio Veritas, claimed she sympathizes with Cabral for her supposed lack of knowledge on the issue. “I really sympathize with her. She is so ignorant of the issue. I think she should have studied first before becoming secretary of health. She should have concentrated first on her private practice. What she is saying is very embarrassing," Acosta said in the interview, excerpts of which were posted on the CBCP news site. Acosta also noted Cabral had stated the Philippines should decrease its fertility rate to 1.3%. “She doesn’t know that 1.3 is a dying level? So, there are many countries in the world, which is below replacement level. According to the United Nations the replacement level should be 2.1 for the population to survive. A married woman should at least give birth to more than 2," she said. She added money running to billions of dollars is being poured in condom campaign, saying this may be why the DOH is very eager to distribute it. But according to a study, Acosta said, 52 per cent of those who use condoms have confirmed that condoms have pores which are big enough to allow the sperm to pass through it. “Hence, the breaking of condom will cause viruses like herpes which can be found all over the genital area," she added. Acosta then said that Thailand and Africa are some of the countries with the highest rate of AIDS because these countries also have the highest demand for condoms. “Nagpopondo talaga ng billions of money ang mga bansang ito para sa condoms kaya sila ang may pinakamataas na kaso ng HIV AIDS sa mundo," (These countries spend billions of money on condoms and yet they have also the highest incidence of HIV AIDS in the world) she said. - LBG/HGS, GMANews.TV

Tags: hivaids, condoms, abra
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