Posted on 09/08/2008 5:49:29 PM PDT by GodGunsGuts
Adding Insult to Injury: Africa, AIDS, and Victim-Blaming
By Chuck Colson
9/5/2008
Approximately 30 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are thought to be infected with the HIV virus. Unlike the West, from the start, HIV/AIDS in Africa has ravaged the non-drug-using heterosexual population. Let me put it this way: People whose Western counterparts are not at risk for HIV/AIDS have been the epidemic’s principal victims in Africa. Why?
This has prompted many people to blame the victims in ways that played on the worst racial stereotypes and prejudices: Researchers and experts argued that “Africans were simply incapable of being anything but promiscuous where sex was concerned.”
They were wrong: The AIDS epidemic in Africa was not because of a unique African promiscuity. In some ways, it is the product of efforts to reduce the number of Africans.
In his book Population Control: Real Costs, Illusory Benefits, Steven Mosher tells readers about the work of researchers David Gisselquist and Stephen Potterat. Prior to their work, it had been assumed that the AIDS epidemic had been spread by heterosexual sex.
Assumed because there was little evidence that this was the case. But, as Mosher points out, it was an assumption that suited the needs of various influential parties: most obviously, AIDS activists.
Another such group was population controllers who believed that Africa was “overpopulated.” A heterosexually spread epidemic would allow them to flood the continent with condoms. While Africans might not have used them for birth control, surely they would use them to prevent the spread of a potentially lethal virus!
Gisselquist and Potterat put the heterosexual transmission assumption to the test and found it wanting. Their peer-reviewed analysis of 22 studies found that instead of 90 percent of African AIDS cases being the result of sexual transmission, as was assumed, the real number was 25 to 35 percent. By way of comparison, the U.S. percentage is well over 50.
According to the researchers, the evidence suggested a “large majority of HIV infections in non-promiscuous adults.” Far from being the victims of their own promiscuity, half of all African AIDS victims were involved in monogamous relationships.
So, if promiscuity is not driving the epidemic in Africa, what is? Substandard medical care—specifically, dirty needles. Almost uniquely, in Africa the more “health care” a person receives, the greater her chances of being infected.
That is because the sanitary conditions we take for granted do not exist in poor African countries. There, syringes and surgical instruments are often re-used without proper sterilization. The needles used to administer vaccine can also transmit AIDS.
It is not only vaccination. The World Health Organization has acknowledged that needles used to administer contraceptives like Depo-Provera are often re-used. Their likely connection to the spread of HIV was tacitly confirmed by their replacement in 2002 by needles that could be used only once.
While it is impossible to know how many women were infected this way, it is clear that population-control efforts, inadvertently maybe, contributed to the spread of the virus in Africa.
But what was not inadvertent was the libeling of an entire continent by outsiders with agendas. People who did or should have known the truth went along with a lie, adding insult to a most grievous injury.
This is part two in a three-part series.
The question is why don't YOU believe HIV causes AIDS????? And WHY do you keep posing the earth is flat and other babble on FR? Rosie doesn't believe fire can melt steel....
It looks like the only thing standing between our two positions with respect to AIDS is HIV. However, the fact that Magic discontinued his AIDS chemotherapy drugs over a decade ago and remains in perfect health should give pause to all those who believe that HIV causes AIDS.
Please sign me up. As the Verse says “Money is the root of all kinds of evil.”
“The Verse” does not say that. I assume you think you are quoting the Bible. Might want to re-check that scripture.
Watch out. GGG has some kind of agenda with this topic. Best to not feed him.
Amen brother! You’re on the list. And thanks for doing so publicly. Most people sign up via FReepmail to avoid having to deal with the abuse being dished out by the usual intellectually bankrupt jackals on these threads.
“Watch out. GGG has some kind of agenda with this topic. Best to not feed him.”
Sorry, should have pinged you. Bad ettiquite (and spelling) on my part
It’s the love of money that is the root...and it is a very important part (along with hard-left politics) of what is driving the AIDS scandal.
Thanks for not leaving me out of the insult.
Don’t know how long you’ve been around. But the pervasive presence and pernicious activities of threadjackals is usually directly proportional to the importance of the topic...
For later read.
Another thing is that you get more money for your country the more AIDS cases you have. SO there is a big push to get more cases.
Well sane conservatives need to stand up to the Paultards and the wackadoo fringe groups such as GGG that come to FR and leave their trail of stench.
He could once and for all prove his main point if he would self inject, but he dances around it more than Richard Simmons.
I’ve read that there are no AIDs tests being done on these sick people. It is the determination of the clinician that determines whether or not they have AIDs. The clinitian is paid by the AIDs foundations, so therefore there is now an epidemic of AIDs in Africa...not proven by blood tests (they’re too poor for that) but soley by what an AIDs foundation clinitian says...to garner more money.
If you have any specific arguments as to why the hundreds of scientists and medical doctors on my side are wrong, let's have them. Indeed, let's set up an official debate between ME and YOU where we agree to ping everybody we know as spectators. We can have one debate thread where only YOU and I go at it, and a separate thread for comments (that way nobody will be able to spoil the thread). What do you say? I'm rather looking forward to grinding the dead bones of your pseudoscientific arguments into a fine powder for all to see. Are you up to the challenge, Drano? Or will you once again retire to the sewer whence you came????
Excellent observation. I have read various reports coming out of Africa where everything from broken arms to accident victims have been reported as AIDS cases. Part of the problem is that a certain proportion of Western AID is directly proportional to how many AIDS cases they report. Let’s just say, if you’re a poor starving African, fudging the numbers can become very, very tempting.
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I just challenged Drano to an official debate. Let’s see if he is willing to put his reputation where his mouth is.
Resembles the Global Warming scam to me! Trace the money!
I can’t believe I missed your excellent reply. And although I have never quite heard it put the way you just did, the gist of what you are saying is what AIDS Rethinkers have been saying for years.
Take a quick look at the annotated links on my Profile Page. If you agree that the AIDS scandal needs to be exposed and investigated, drop me a FReepmail and I’d be glad to add you to the Rethinking AIDS ping list.
All the best—GGG
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