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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Annonymous who "doesn't believe a word of it" makes it clear how prevalent misinformation and ignorance about HIV are. While the probability of transmission from women to men in vaginal intercourse is less than from men to women (roughly 1 in 1000 chance for women, 1 in 2000 chance for men of getting HIV from one instance of unprotected sex), both men and women are at risk of getting HIV if they have unprotected sex.
Given the U.S.'s foreign policy on promoting abstinence-only education abroad (thus prohibiting the discussion of condoms even in the context of STDs rather than pregnancy prevention), encouraging circumcision (in a culturally sensitive way) might be a good idea. Of course it shouldn't replace efforts to having meaningful sex education provided both in the U.S. and globally, but given that most countries' hands are tied by their dependence on U.S. aid, offering circumcision might at least help a bit.
And another point of clarification - "female circumcision" or "gential mutilation" or whatever you want to call it comes in many forms. Some are extremely invasive, brutal procedures that involve complete cliterectomies and infibulation, leaving women with lasting sexual and reproductive problems. Other forms, however, are less severe than male circumcision - invoving only a symbolic prick of the female genitalia with a needle that may not even draw a drop of blood. So it's hard to compare male and female circumcision given the wide range of rituals practiced.
All in all, I think there is no harm in informing men that circumcision helps in the prevention of HIV but is not by any means complete protection against the virus, and letting them decide for themselves. And of course, getting the U.S. government to end the ridiculous crusade against sex in our classrooms and classrooms abroad so that young people can be given the tools they need to make informed decisions about sex and the risks they take.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
