The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has criticised the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Southern Africa for saying the government should promote abstinence and not condoms in the fight against Aids because condoms are ”clearly not working”.
TAC spokesperson Denis Matwa said Cardinal Wilfred Napier’s comment has set back its hard work by years, especially in townships where people do not easily accept the use of condoms.
”It’s a sorry situation to find a person of such influence preaching such a message,” he said.
On Monday, Napier said only a drastic change in sexual behaviour will stop the spread of the disease.
”Why can’t we follow the example of the one country in Africa, Uganda, that has successfully reduced its infection rate from something like 29% to 5% in just 10 years?” he asked.
Napier argued that in Uganda everyone from the president down has preached the same message: ”Change your behaviour … change your behaviour.”
He said in that country condoms are never a consideration because the entire campaign is focused on abstinence, which the South African government says is part of its campaign, together with condom distribution.
Uganda example ‘surprising’
However, Matwa said he finds it ”surprising” that Napier used Uganda as an example, adding he was there in October and there were condoms everywhere, in libraries, schools and even churches.
He said in one church there was a priest who was HIV-positive and condoms could be found on the back benches of the church.
Napier said the Catholic Church will never promote condoms because it is against birth control and pre-marital sex.
”There’s also not a 100% medical or scientific evidence to prove that condoms prevent the transmission of Aids, and it’s only 70% to 75% effective in preventing pregnancy,” said Napier.
He said the government speaks about moral regeneration but does not think how the promotion of condoms affects human behaviour.
‘Stupid message’
An angry Matwa — who lives openly with his HIV-positive status — said: ”The cardinal is coming with a stupid message. It’s either you use a condom or face premature death.”
He said it will cause confusion among the youth and make the TAC’s door-to-door campaigns even more difficult.
”We are a very sexually active nation. If you divide the number of condoms that is freely available to the public, it is not enough.”
Matwa said the TAC is already pressuring the government to make more condoms available.
The organisation’s other challenge to the government is to get 200 000 people on anti-retrovirals by the end of 2005. Currently, there are 20 000 people on anti-retrovirals and the TAC says it is willing to help the government meet the challenge. — Sapa