wfn.org | AIDS Pandemic calls for Redefinition of Basic Ethical Questions

["Frank Imhoff" <frank_imhoff@elca.org>]

AIDS Pandemic calls for Redefinition of Basic Ethical Questions
Norwegian Bishop Staalsett: "We are not doing enough" 

BANGKOK, Thailand/GENEVA, 21 July 2004 (LWI)  - At the 15th
International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Norwegian Bishop
Gunnar Staalsett has called for inter-faith cooperation to rethink basic
ethical issues, given the record number of just under 40 million
worldwide who are infected with HIV/AIDS. Social and sexual morality was
formulated in an age before the AIDS pandemic, said Staalsett, Bishop of
Oslo, during a panel discussion organized by the Ecumenical Advocacy
Alliance (EAA). The conference took place 11-16 July.

Staalsett, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) from
1985 to 1994, stressed, in view of the rising number of newly infected
people, "We are not doing enough." He called the situation a "crime
against society." Religions need to overcome their differences,
according to the theologian and, in the new era of AIDS, make a joint
effort to establish a new basis for sexual morality.

Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson called
Staalsett's initiative a "thoughtful and self-critical position," which
should be discussed among the religious communities. Bishop Staalsett
commented on the conflict regarding the so-called ABC program
("Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms") in the context of AIDS
prevention. He recommended the program, stating that it was necessary to
discard the view that using condoms was wrong. He favored recommending
all three elements of the ABC program and not just the first two.

The disagreement between advocates and opponents of campaigns to promote
the use of condoms was intensified in Bangkok by statements from Ugandan
President Yoweri Museveni. He warned against seeing the use of condoms
as the ultimate solution for the AIDS problem. His view that abstinence
and marital fidelity were more effective methods was seen as encouraging
abstinence campaigns promoted by the US government. This one-sided focus
on abstinence provoked protests by many doctors and AIDS activists who
want to promote all three elements of the ABC program.

In criticizing Museveni's statements, Mary Robinson recommended keeping
a sense of reality, noting that more married women were infected than
unmarried women. Anglican Bishop Canon Gideon Byamugisha from Uganda was
also disappointed by the statements of his president. Religious leaders
in Uganda have promoted all three elements of the ABC program,
emphasized the bishop, who himself is HIV-positive. Museveni is ignoring
what has been happening, he said, pointing out that 61 percent of
HIV-infected women in Africa have been in monogamous relationships.
"They are faithful, but still infected." 

On the question of promoting the use of condoms, there was a difference
of opinion among the representatives of various religions. Catholic
Bishop Bernard Moras from India regards the use of condoms as a decline
in morality, particularly as people can be deluded into thinking they
are safe. This opinion was shared by Shri Satkari Mukhopadhyaya, a
Hindu, and Sheikh Omar el-Bastawisi, a Muslim. A Buddhist
representative, Phramaha Boonchuay Doojai, did not comment on this point
during the panel discussion..

Sonja Weinreich from the German Institute for Medical Mission told the
conference that, while no one denies that abstinence makes sense, it
cannot always be guaranteed. Many experts and women's representatives at
the International AIDS Conference warned against the "illusion of
fidelity," stating that a growing number of women have been infected by
their unfaithful husbands.

Panel members unanimously deplored the prevalence of stigmatization and
discrimination in society, leading people to conceal the illness out of
shame and to avoid going for treatment or even testing. This has caused
unnecessary loss of human life, Byamugisha stressed. Religions should
therefore resist prejudice against HIV-infected persons, and provide
care and support.

At this 15th International AIDS Conference, religious representatives
wished to have a common statement, committing themselves to increase
their efforts in the fight against the AIDS pandemic. In addition to
prevention, their main concerns are care, support and treatment for
people with HIV/AIDS.

One of the focal points of the Bangkok conference was the AIDS pandemic
in Asia where, according to UN information, the virus is spreading
rapidly and has now infected 7.4 million people. This is just under 20
percent of the worldwide total of people living with HIV/AIDS. AIDS is
more than a health crisis and is thus a danger, which should be
addressed by the highest governmental decision makers, stressed UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan when opening the conference. (735 words)

(By Rainer Lang, Stuttgart)

The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 136 member
churches in 76 countries representing 62.3 million of the almost 66
million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member
churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith
relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights,
communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work.
Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service.
Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent
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