The "Culture of Life" Lie...

I'm pissed.

So the other night I'm watching PBS, and the had a story called "This History of AIDS." 2 hours. Very interesting.

Who here has ever heard of the "Mexico City Policy"? It was even part of a trial on Boston Legal a few weeks ago. It's a policy put in place by Reagan, Bush Sr., eradicated by Clinton, put back in place by Dancing Monkey, and it says basically this:

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The Mexico City Policy announced by President Reagan in 1984 required nongovernmental organizations to agree as a condition of their receipt of Federal funds that such organizations would neither perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations. This policy was in effect until it was rescinded on January 22, 1993.

It is my conviction that taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortions or advocate or actively promote abortion, either here or abroad. It is therefore my belief that the Mexico City Policy should be restored. Accordingly, I hereby rescind the "Memorandum for the Acting Administrator of the Agency for International Development, Subject: AID Family Planning Grants/Mexico City Policy," dated January 22, 1993, and I direct the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to reinstate in full all of the requirements of the Mexico City Policy in effect on January 19, 1993.

GEORGE W. BUSH

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Now, let's examine this a little more closely, shall we? The Dancing Monkey philosophy is this: Teach Abstinence.

What? You thought it would be longer? Never give the Dancing Monkey credit he hasn't earned.

In the 90s, Uganda was at the forefront in preventive HIV/AIDS prevention. They had a system where the government actively taught abstinence, monogamy, and CONDOM USAGE. They cut their HIV infection rate in half in just one year. It kept going down... down... down... until they accepted money from us, under the terms of the Mexico City Policy.

The AIDS epidemic re-exploded onto the scene.

It's happening all over the world. The United States is the leader in funding medical funding in developing countries around the world. But it comes at a cost. Millions of lives.

Let's talk about abstinence for a moment, shall we?

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Abstinence:

1. voluntary forbearance especially from indulgence of an appetite or craving or from eating some foods : ABSTENTION
2. habitual abstaining from intoxicating beverages

Refrain. Don't do. And to the right-wing moronic idiots like Dancing Money and Tango Monkey (read: Pope, Catholic Church), it is the one sure-fire method for preventing the spread of HIV. And they aren't wrong. It is the only sure fire way to prevention... but do people do it, or more precisely, not do it?

I think we all know the answer is no.

People have sex. People are wired to have sex. It feels good. Evolution knew it needed something to make sure we kept the species going, and we did not disappoint. Even here, in the U.S., under Dancing Monkey's "Abstinence Only" funding, teen's all over America have taken "vows" and such to abstain until marriage, but how many keep those vows? See these articles:

• CBS: Texas teens increased sex after abstinence program
• CBS: 'Abstaining' Teens Still Get STDs
• Kaiser Network: Sex Education, Abstinence Efforts Not Effectively Reaching Teens
• Fox News: Study: 'Abstaining' Teens Still Risk STDs

The data goes on and on like that, and it has for years. Kids are going to have sex. And if all you teach is abstinence, and not SAFE SEX, more are going to get pregnant. More are going to get sick. More are going to die.

Teaching kids about condoms and safe sex isn't immoral. Not teaching them is naive and dangerous.

The Pope still thinks Jesus will prevent married spouses from giving one another AIDS when one has it and the other doesn't. How that man can sleep at night, I'll never know. He also just put out a sweeping condemnation on not only the use of condoms, but artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization, and any other "artificial" ways of conceiving a child...

How is this a culture of life? Not only do we ignore preventive measures that at least give you a better chance (though certainly not full-proof) of not getting infected by HIV/AIDS if they choose not to abstain, but then we tell couples that can't just have sex and pop out a kid that they can't pursue other means of doing so? Sure adoptin is an option, but until the state and federal governments make adoption an affordable alternative, people are going to spend their money to keep their gene pool going.

There is nothing wrong with teaching abstinence. It's a good thing. But to think that only teaching abstinence is the way to go is stupid, plain and simple. Teaching people to put their faith in the church's policies that dictate condom use is a no-no, and that they won't get AIDS even though their spouse in infected, is really stupid and certainly isn't life affirming.

It is sentencing millions who rely on the church for a "moral" life choice... to death.