By Gudrun Schultz
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, January 11, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Roman Catholic bishops in Tanzania have condemned a new textbook for primary schools that contains a section teaching students how to use condoms.
“Introduction of the [teaching of] use of condoms in schools, apart from being sinful, is indeed justification and opening the door for immoral lifestyles,” said Cardinal Polycarp Pengo, the archbishop of Dar es Salaam, in a statement issued from Tanzania’s Episcopal Conference.
“Teaching children, some as young as 12 years old, the use of condoms is disastrous.”
The Episcopal Conference has steadfastly opposed the use of condoms in fighting HIV/AIDS, despite the high rate of infection among the Tanzanian population—at least two million Tanzanians are HIV positive.
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Although condom use is at the forefront of AIDS intervention programs in Africa, multiple studies have shown that condom use is largely ineffective in halting the spread of the HIV virus.
Although advocates tout condoms as 100% effective in preventing HIV/AIDS transmission, in fact there is at least a 10% failure rate associated with condom use, by the most conservative estimates. Despite this, intervention programs continue to push condoms on developing nations.
Studies have indicated that condom use may actually encourage the spread of AIDS by falsely convincing users that they are protected from the virus, and through improper use.
In January of 2004, Dr. Norman Hearst of the University of California – San Francisco revealed statistics on Kenya, Botswana, and other countries, which show a correlation between increased condom sales and rising HIV prevalence by year.
The Conference said its opposition to condom use did not imply that the Church was “blind to the magnitude of the loss of life and suffering to millions of people infected by the disease”. However, it said, the church was obliged to defend the dignity of human beings and, as such, therefore, had to speak out. (Reuters)
New Research Confirms Condoms Not Effective in HIV Prevention
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jan/04011408.html
United Nations Report says Condoms Fail to Protect against AIDS 10% of the Time
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/jun/03062303.html)