Condoms sometimes fail — abstinence is safer

THE EDITOR: Recently there have been many ongoing attacks in the media against the Catholic Church’s policy on condom use and HIV-AIDS. These attacks imply that the Church has an unscientific, dishonest and dangerous attitude to condoms when, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. When we are battling with a fatal disease of great psychological, physical and social morbidity which is increased by poverty and ignorance, and where over 42 million people are already infected, then the stakes are too high for people to be led to believe that condoms are the answer at present, until a vaccine or cure can be found.

HIV-AIDS is a behavioural disorder and mankind’s present addictions and sexual misbehaviour are spreading the disease. Mother Church cares greatly about the spiritual and physical lives of Her children; indeed they are exhorted to “love life.” Addictive behaviour and sexual promiscuity in this case not only kill the soul unless there is repentance, but thanks to HIV-AIDS now, can also kill the body — this is the culture of death. There are many scientific papers published about the failure of latex condoms in preventing pregnancy and HIV infection, and yesterday I surfed the web and found 48,427 papers published about this. Condoms fail for physical, mechanical and human error reasons and the rates of failure vary from five percent to 30 percent and more.

Why should the failure rate of condoms in HIV be less than in pregnancy when the virus is over 400 times smaller than a sperm? This belief is denial and hypocrisy which have replaced ignorance as the greatest obstacle to curbing the spread of HIV-AIDS. There are studies published by UNAIDS and by the National Centres for Disease Control which show the failure rate of condoms and warn against depending on condoms for protection against the fatality of HIV-AIDS. I have spoken to many HIV-positive people and asked them what they think about condoms and they all condemn them as unsafe and dangerous. Suppose you were in a crashing plane with 100 people on board and just as the stewardess handed you a parachute as you were about to leap through the door she said: “About 17 percent of these parachutes are going to fail but we don’t know which ones.” How would you feel then, and how would you feel if you used condoms and still got HIV-AIDS?

The Catholic Church says that while the use of condoms is safer sex, it is certainly not safe sex and it is lethal for your soul unless you can repent, but unfortunately you can get a fatal disease only once and then it is too late. The Church insists that not only is abstinence safer, but fidelity to one’s spouse and a strong positive attitude to chastity in singles are the best of all and these require prayer and persistence. Today any promiscuous informed person who becomes HIV-positive has only himself/herself to blame; sometimes their partner is in denial and will not inform them of their own infection. Beware, HIV is out there.

DR PETER GENTLE
Chaguanas