Safe Sex Methods, Part III

Method #6: The Birth Control Pill
As you can probably guess from the title of this particular method, it is a method that has to do with preventing pregnancy rather than preventing disease. For this reason, if you are interested in something like AIDS prevention, the birth control pill is really not the method for you to choose. You should choose one of the other methods that have been noted as ways to prevent the spread of disease and the mixing of fluids, as both of those things are central to the idea of AIDS prevention. The birth control pill is something that is taken by the woman after engaging in sex. It has the ability to alter the woman’s menstrual cycle and in doing so prevent the possibility of an egg being fertilized in any way, shape or form. Of course, the pill is not 100% effective, which is why it should be combined with some other form of safe sex such as male condoms. Such a combination would also deal with AIDS prevention as well as other problems stemming from risk of sexually transmitted diseases.
Method #7: Diaphragm
This particular device does not refer to anything that has to do with the diaphragm that is a muscle in your stomach, but rather the device that can be used as a form of birth control if it is inserted into the woman’s vagina before she engages in sex. This is a dual purpose safe sex method which means that it has the ability to protect both against unwanted pregnancy and also against sexually transmitted disease. For this reason, the diaphragm is an effective AIDS prevention tool. The main problem with the diaphragm for these purposes is that it tends to be quite expensive. A woman has to undergo an examination and have the device fitted to her particular biology and for that reason it can sometimes be out of reach of many people. For a woman that can afford to have one however, it is usually a better method than condoms as over the course of time the condoms will be used and disposed whereas the diaphragm can be used an unlimited number of times after it is acquired by the woman.
Method #8: Sponge
One final method that is worth mentioning in this series of methods dealing with safe sex is the sponge. The sponge used to be a very popular method for birth control and AIDS prevention, but it has since become less popular in favour of other methods such as the use of a diaphragm. The sponge is a small sponge that is inserted into the vagina before sex takes place and contains a large amount of sperm-killing substance on it. Therefore, it blocks and absorbs the semen before it can enter the cervix and kills all of the sperm cells before they can get by. For this reason, the sponge was an older method of AIDS prevention and birth control that was very popular, but its relative expense and disposability soon found it losing ground to the female condom when that particular product was made reliable.

Safe Sex Methods Part 1

Introduction

Sexual exploration and sexual activity are starting to become more prevalent in younger ages in the current generation. With the oversexed society that we live in today, the simple truth of the matter is that teenagers are going to be exposed to sex at younger ages and for that reason plans need to be made for when teenagers inevitably decide to have sex one way or the other and whether to use condoms or not. There are many plans that can be put in place either for prevention or for dealing with sex and one of those plans is known as the safe sex approach. The safe sex approach is built around a number of different potential methods that can be used and for that reason it has really become the most popular method for sex education in the world today. With multiple methods to choose from, each person can pick the one that they feel would be best for them in their current life situation.

Method #1: Abstinence
One of the most controversial methods of safe sex that is utilized today is simply the method of abstinence. This is not really a safe sex method when you consider that the basic premise of this method is to avoid sex until a point in time where the consequences or potential consequences can be dealt with appropriately, but at the same time it needs to be discussed in any safe sex discussion for the simple reason that abstinence remains the most taught method around as far as sex education is concerned. The argument made by proponents of this method is that abstinence is the only sure fire method for birth control and to avoid sexually transmitted diseases. This is technically true since sex is avoided entirely and with other methods a 100% success rate is a theoretical impossibility, but studies have shown repeatedly that for practical terms, there are many other safe sex methods that are just as good as abstinence that allow teenagers to explore their natural sexual impulses.

Method #2: Monogamy
When teenagers are engaging in sexual relations, there is the impulse on the part of many teenagers to attempt to do this with more than one partner at the same time. Why this impulse exists is a question for sociologists to tackle, but scientists can already show with startling clarity that multiple sexual relationships at once increases the chance for a negative side effect such as a sexually transmitted disease. AIDS in particular is a disease that has been shown to have logarithmic increases in the transmission as the number of sexual partners gets larger. For this reason, one reasonably smart alternative to abstinence is monogamy. Monogamy means having just one sexual partner at a time and it is the foundation for the deeper and more meaningful relationships that tend to develop around sex as well. While it too is not really a safe sex method in the modern sense of the word, it is nonetheless taught as such in most of the sex education classes that do not deal with abstinence.

Is HIV / AIDS Overfunded ?

Just like we all instantly know the pink ribbon is the symbol for the fight against breast cancer, we automatically think of the global fight against AIDS when we see the red ribbon on lapels, hanging from buildings and on the bottom corner of AIDS/HIV campaign posters. Countries and organizations funnel millions upon millions of dollars a year into the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic which currently afflicts approximately 33 million people around the globe. In fact, according to data provided by the Global Health Council, about 80% of America’s aid earmarked for population issues and health issues goes towards the fight against AIDS. Now, what some researchers, scientists and politicians are asking is whether too much aid is being provided for this one global disease. Especially when the disease can be prevented 99.9% of the time by simply wearing condoms.
Researchers and critics have begun asking this question as they worry that AIDS is sucking money away from other pressing, but less publicly exposed, health issues around the world. With the exclusion of Africa, AIDS/HIV has become a manageable disease as some experts point out. One critic of the money being spent for AIDS/HIV is Jeremy Shiffman from Syracuse University whose studies focus on health spending, “AIDS is a terrible humanitarian tragedy, but it's just one of many terrible humanitarian tragedies.” Even more vocal on the subject is Roger England from the Health Systems Workshop. England is calling for UNAIDS to be disbanded and states, “The global HIV industry is too big and out of control. We have created a monster with too many vested interests and reputations at stake... too many relatively well paid HIV staff in affected countries, and too many rock stars with AIDS support as a fashion accessory."
Responding to England’s statements is Paul de Lay from UNAIDS, “We have an epidemic that has caused between 55 million and 60 million infections. To suddenly pull the rug out from underneath that would be disastrous." De Lay insists that while it may appear the epidemic has been managed with drugs and multiple HIV campaigns around the world, this line of thinking could not be further from the truth. England feels that the annual budget of $200 million for UNAIDS would be better suited to address more pressing health issues like pneumonia which claims more children’s lives each year than AIDS, measles and malaria altogether. England states, "By putting more money into AIDS, we are implicitly saying it's OK for more kids to die of pneumonia."
Many critics also cite the fact that health and financial resources often get misallocated. One example is demonstrated in the country of Rwanda where, in 2006, close to $50 million was allocated for the fight against HIV/AIDS, $18 million was allocated to the fight against malaria (the number one killer in Rwanda) and only $1 million was allocated to fight various childhood diseases. Activists and researchers for health issues other than AIDS fight to get any financial resources but often have a hard time drawing attention away from the popular AIDS/HIV global battle. John Oldfield from Water Advocates (an agency that campaigns for clean sanitation and water) states, “Diarrhea kills five times as many kids as AIDS. Everybody talks about AIDS at cocktail parties. But nobody wants to hear about diarrhea." With a recession currently in place, the focus of correctly allocating money for various health issues is even more pressing. States Shiffman, “I do not want to see the cause of AIDS harmed. For AIDS to crowd out other issues is ethically unjust." More money should be spent on the prevention of HIV/AIDS through safe sex education and promoting the use of condoms.

AIDS - Prevention is better than cure

AIDS is one of the most dangerous diseases on the planet. As is the case of any diseases, AIDS prevention also is better than curing it after you gets infected. A major reason which is hampering the AIDS prevention activities around the is the lack of proper sexual education of the people involved and the taboos associated in different cultures around the world regarding condoms usage. Let us take a look at some of the major causes of AIDS infection and how to avoid those situations.
The single most important cause behind the transmission of AIDS is sexual contact. One of the partners has to be HIV positive so as to spread the virus to his/her sexual partner. And the virus spreads only when you have unprotected sex. So the key word is protection here. And condoms can do whole lot of difference here. Studies conducted on HIV positive people and his/her disease free partner who had used condoms during all their sexual activities have shown that the rate of infection is less than 1%. This proves the reliability of condoms. As long as the condoms are used properly, they are very safe. The overall safety of condoms is above 80%. And this rate goes significantly higher when the condom is used properly. The lubricants used with the condom can play a significant role in the effectiveness of the condom. Oil based lubricants can corrode the material of latex condoms and should be avoided. Water based lubricants will work fine with latex condoms and thus helping AIDS prevention.
HIV can be infected to the infant's body from the mother during pregnancy. Again if the mother had safe sex all through her sexual activities, this could be avoided. In the cases where the disease is not transferred to the kid during pregnancy, HIV can be transferred through breast milk and hence breast-feeding should be avoided.
Male circumcision is known to have a positive effect in reducing the rate of AIDS infection. As circumcision has religious as well as cultural angles associated with it, many people would be wary of undergoing the procedure even as a tool for such a worthy cause as AIDS prevention.
Medical personal like doctors and nurses are always at the risk of getting infected from infected patients. This is especially true when surgical operations are performed on the patients. These risks can be reduced to a certain extent by using protective gloves, goggles etc. Washing your hand and face routinely with soap can reduce the chances of getting infected. Extra care need to be given while handling any sharp objects like needles, surgical knives etc.
Blood transfusion is another instance when you could get infected. Only thing you can do for AIDS prevention in this regard is to use tested blood for transfusion. You may use the blood of some one you are familiar with so as to reduce the chances of infection.
Drug addicts get infected with AIDS when they exchange the syringe used to inject them selves. Some governments around the world have created projects where they provide new syringes to drug addicts so as to improve the chances of AIDS prevention.

Should schools provide condoms for kids ?

Even in the 21st century, it is a controversial topic in many states of America. Most people associate condoms with sexual activity. There is nothing wrong with that. Condoms are associated with sex. The problems for condoms start when people associate condoms with promiscuity. This is especially true in the case of evangelical people who are totally against condoms or sex education for kids. They argue that condoms are going to give the kids new ideas. They fear that the kids may start to experiment with condoms and sex as they have access to it. But kids are kids. They are going to experiment with sex. Condom or no condom!! The increase in numbers of STDs among teenage girls is an example of sexual activity they engage in, even without easy access to condoms. The high rate of teenage pregnancy is also showing examples of sexually active kids. There number is not going to increase, as they will have easy access to condoms. These kids should have access to condoms and that would help them in protecting themselves and the society at large by stopping the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. It is not fair to deny them access to condoms.
Condoms must be easily available for teenage kids. If possible, sex education can be provided along with the delivery of condoms. The person who is delivering the condoms can explain the pros and cons of condoms, sex etc to the kids. The school nurse who is already present in most schools can be given this responsibility. There must be access to condoms in a different way as well. As kids are usually wary of approaching an adult to get condoms, there should be a condom machine in each school for kids to get condoms anonymously.
The easy access of condoms would reduce the rate of AIDS infection in USA. Teenagers and young adults are the ones who are getting infected in half of the new AIDS cases reported. If they get easy access to condoms at teenage years, then they will have safe sex. Two of the main reasons for kids to drop out of school are teenage pregnancy and poor health. You can avoid teenage pregnancy fully with condoms. Poor health caused from STDs can be avoided with the help of condoms to a very high extent.
There are still people who hold morality above the health or safety of kids. This issue should be considered on its merits as a public health issue. Not a moral challenge. Safe sex is just that. Safe sex. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Public schools must be providing condoms in their premises, as school drop out rate is highest there. Kids from low-income families who attend these schools are more prone to get pregnant and stop their studies altogether. Hence the availability of condoms is mandatory in public schools all over America.
Of course catholic schools are going to object to providing condoms to kids there. But the parents need to take a strong position and this would make the catholic school managements to change their position on condoms.