The African Cliff is the name being given to the steep and sudden decline in life expectancy in sub-saharan Africa. I knew, as I'm sure you did, that AIDS was a massive problem in Africa. As of 2003, the HIV infection level in Africa was 25 times higher than in North America. Even so, I was unprepared for the impact of seeing the problem illustrated in this chart from the 2005 Economic Report of the President.
I just read through all of Chapter 7, where this graph originated. In all of he 6,561 words (thanks BBEdit word count) Condoms are mentioned 3 times. In each case, it's in the context of sex education in the "ABC" form: Abstinence, Be Faithful, and correct and consistent Condom use. I have a problem with the A, and so do kids worldwide.
Sex, being normal and natural and healthy and fun, is not something people will abstain from. It's not something people have ever abstained from. It's not something people will ever abstain from. And it's not something people should abstain from. Abstinence programs don't work in Alabama, and they don't work in Africa. Or to widen the field a bit and make that statement more accurate, abstinence programs don't work on Earth.
The danger of playing Let's Pretend We Don't Have Genitals when you live south of the Mason-Dixon line is small compared to the death toll it takes in less developed places without access to cheap and effective medical treatment.
UNAIDS states that, in low- and middle-income countries, death rates for HIV-infected 15-49 year olds are up to 20 times greater than those of people living with HIV in industrialized countries
So let's stop putting economic and social efforts into fruitless programs that appease religious sensibilities (by which I mean "irrational hypocrisy") and just start giving out condoms dammit. I'm sure that supplying Africa with tens of millions of condoms and sensible "have fun, don't die" sex education would have negligible costs compared to those of the drugs required to treat AIDS.
Here's an interesting tidbit from that same Economic Report about condom use in Uganda:
Since 1990, a USAID-funded program has contributed to increases in condom use from 7 percent nationwide to more than 50 percent in rural areas and over 85 percent in urban areas."
Now, let's look at the chart. Oh my gosh, what a surprise: since 1990 the life expectancy in Uganda has not only stopped plummeting it's been increasing. The bible tells me that's coincidence, but I'm starting to lose faith. Thank god.
And before somebody says this isn't a religious issue, think about the reason why the Prez can back a $15 billion international HIV drug treatment program but not a condom promotion and distribution plan for a fraction of that cost. It's hard to stand up and say "Let's save millions of lives for a few bucks a piece" when he can't/won't do the same in the U.S. due to the insistence by powerful lobby groups that sex is sin.
And due to the fact that he agrees.
