Now before I get cut down like tree in the Amazonian rain forest, hear me out.
Firstly, let me congratulate the developers and researchers on producing a microbicide vaginal gel that reduces the transmission of HIV by 50%. That’s great. That’s a huge leap forward, considering we had nothing before. So having moved from Zero to One is great in that respect.
What gets my goat is how this has been touted as “finally there is hope for women”. Finally, women have something to fight the risk of HIV infection.
Now let me clear something up. This isn’t a quick fix solution. The gel has to be applied 12 hours before intercourse, and then within 2 hours after intercourse to have the stated efficacy.
Hmm…lets think about that….the woman has to apply it 12 hours BEFORE she will be forced/urged/coerced into having UNPROTECTED intercourse. How will she know this? And if she knows she’ll be doing this, shouldn’t she be encouraging her partner to use a condom?
To me, this isn’t going to empower women, its going to further entrench the fact that many women are in abusive relationships and we’re going to condone it. Not only are we going to condone it, but we’re going to give them something to feel better about it.
Bottom line is this. If your partner doesn’t respect your wishes and fears enough to A. get tested for HIV, and B. wear a condom (which is both contraceptive and protective against STD), then drop him like its hot, and move on.
Lets be clear. The Vaginal Gel is a poor choice in the Fight against HIV.
Follow the A B C rather. Abstain. Be Faithful. Condomise.
Thats my 2 cents. What’s your comments?
I understand completely what you are saying but the fact that we live in a world in which culturally this is inherent behaviour also makes its ok. Women living in Africa, South America and Asia, see it as a way of life. Your husband is there to rule and thats how family life is. The gel offers them a way of protecting themselves with out having to ask for him to wear a condom which 90% of the time he will reject. With many women they live in Migrant labour conditions and if you know your husband is coming home on Friday night its very easy to remember to ue the gel UP TO 12 hours before intercourse.
We may differ on this topic and its understandable, but the situation women are in across the world needs to be understood as well. We are intellectuals and therefore can easily say “drop him” but not every women in the world is.
Though as the researchers have stated the research still needs to be verified, it is only a step and small break through in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
hey what about my article
http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=52231
Lol! I like this. it’s good dialogue!. I read your article last week.
OK, I’m not saying that it doesn’t have its merits. As a microbicide, it will have much more applications (pun intended) than what you just mentioned. For instance in sexual assault it may have a place in post-exposure prophylaxis. It may even have application in prevention of vertical transmission of HIV from mother to infant during the birth process.
I’m just saying, that with regards to using it in intercourse, its nowhere near as effective as barrier methods, which are also contraceptive.
But how do we fight HIV really? By changing peoples sexual behaviour. Its a mindset change. Because you’re a migrant worker, it’s not OK to be unfaithful to your partner at home.
What’s worse is when the woman is using it because she knows/expects that her husband has been unfaithful. We should be empowering women in a different way. #Imjustsaying.
Everything else is like putting a plaster on a gushing wound.
This gel has its merits, but it should be the weapon in our armada that we’re ashamed of. Not proud of.
I get both of you
I’m alseo very ashamed that I live in a world where majority of the women I meet are raped in their first sexual encounter without even knowing it. Perhaps I’m defining rape too rigidly but a lot of the women don’t know what sex is when they are taken advantage of. And babies and HIV comes soon after. Sex ruins a lot of women’s lives.
I guess that while the ABC message is essential, what is more important is re-styling the way communities who are most affected and infected by AIDS, see the disease. For all the awareness campaigns and condoms as well as this gel now being available why is it that we are still showing the highest new infection rates. thanx for the informative post.
Great
Now I have that jackson 5 song stuck in my head. Thanks SG