Letter: ‘The big lie' exposes students to diseases

Regarding the March 22 "Another View" editorial which stated "...most reliable means of preventing AIDS...condoms and education in safe sex." You have reprinted the big lie.

Last July the Department of Health Services published findings from the NIH, FDA, CDC, and USAID, of a year-long study in which 28 researchers reviewed 138 peer-reviewed, published studies on the heterosexual transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. They found that condoms didn't provide universal protection against the eight most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases: HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, chancroid, trichomoniasis, genital herpes, and human papillomavirus. (CNA 3/23/09).

Senior Harvard research scientist for AIDS Prevention, Dr. Edward Green supports Pope Benedict XVI's comments regarding abstinence. He explains condoms should work, in theory, but they may be "exacerbating the problem...." He states that instead of waiting for "American and European advisors to arrive," Ugandan officials reacted and developed a program that fit their culture; their main message being "stick to one partner or love faithfully." In his book "AIDS and Ideology," he states that behavioral change is the solution. (CNA 3/19/09).

Nigerian and Ugandan governments/religious leaders have also found that "Condoms tend to give a sense of freedom to be sexually reckless, and obviously that is a major cause of the spread of HIV/AIDS...." (NCR 3/18/09).

In the U.S., we tell our parents to tell their kids no to drugs, truancy, driving drunk, but it's OK to have safe sex as taught by our schools, TV, music and culture. Now our children are exposed to a pandemic of sex- related diseases.

Charles W. Page Jr.
Yuba City