Facebook Users to Deluge Pope With Condoms

Study shows that monogamy is the best weapon against AIDS in Africa

(NEWSER) - Pope Benedict's controversial statements that condoms aren't helping in Africa may be unpopular, but evidence shows that he might be right, a public heath researcher argues in the Washington Post. It's a divisive topic in part because the condom has become such a potent symbol of sexual freedom and female emancipation, acknowledges Edward C. Green. Yet research has revealed that condoms do not work as a primary HIV-intervention measure in Africa, Green notes. More»

On visit to Africa, pope makes first statement on their use

(AP) - Condoms are not the answer to Africa's fight against AIDS, and in fact exacerbate the epidemic, Pope Benedict said at the start of a 7-day visit to the continent today. It's the first explicit statement about condoms from the pontiff, who has said that the Roman Catholic Church is at the forefront of the battle against AIDS. The Vatican encourages sexual abstinence to fight the spread of the disease. More»

We've taken big strides, but the fight's not over

(NEWSER) - When George W. Bush became president, “much of sub-Saharan Africa was on the verge of catastrophe” thanks to the HIV epidemic. So America took action, and now millions are on AIDS medication. The relief effort served US interests in helping to stabilize a region on the brink; but what’s more, taking action reflected “American character and beliefs,” Bush writes in the Washington Post . More»

(NEWSER) - The UK's most prestigious medical journal has joined the condemnation of Pope Benedict’s comments on contraception, the Financial Times reports. “By saying that condoms exacerbate the problem of HIV/AIDS, the Pope has publicly distorted scientific evidence to promote Catholic doctrine on this issue," says an editorial in the Lancet. And the Vatican's "attempts to tweak the Pope’s words" are "not the way forward." More»

Study findings could present a 'major health crisis'

(NEWSER) - Alarming new research out of eastern and southern Africa, where both unplanned pregnancies and AIDS wreak havoc: The most popular contraceptive used by women there appears to double their risk of contracting HIV—and if a woman already has HIV, it doubles her risk of transmitting it to her partner compared to women who use no contraception. The study centers around a hormone shot given once every three months, which is the best contraception available in Africa today, one expert tells the New York Times : “If it is now proven that these contraceptions are helping spread the AIDS epidemic, we have a major health crisis on our hands.” More»