EATG condemns statement of Pope
Brussels, Belgium – March 24, 2009 – The European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG) has noted with dismay and strongly condemns the statement of Pope Benedict XVI in which he, the pontiff of more than 1.1 billion Catholics in the world, tried to discourage the distribution of condoms, even to prevent HIV.
The EATG believes that the Pope should immediately withdraw this statement and apologise for its contents and its possible catastrophic impact on the AIDS epidemic and the quarter-century fight against it. This fight is largely based on inventing, advocating and promoting sound prevention techniques, including a strong emphasis on the use of condoms.
Scientific evidence suggests that the consistent use of male and female condoms prevents the transmission of the virus in approximately 80-90% of cases. While debates about the effectiveness of condom use in the prevention of the transmission of HIV in particular populations are ongoing, preventing nine out of ten infections means nine out of ten lives saved among people who use them. The Pope has no right or moral authority to decide over the lives of those people.
We, as an organisation of people living with HIV and their advocates from across Europe, believe that the Pope's stance is not only dangerous in terms of public health, but is also dangerous because it prevents people living with HIV from protecting their partners. Christian people living with HIV are thus discouraged from using condoms to protect their partners from HIV infection. This is turn may expose them to stigma, violence and criminal prosecution, and discourage open discussion and disclosure of HIV status. The Pope has no right or moral authority to decide about the lives and prevention choices of people living with HIV, their partners or unborn children.
The EATG strongly supports condom use as a measure of HIV/AIDS prevention . More specifically, in its HIV prevention policy, EATG recommends
● „if you are going to have unprotected sex, always disclose your own status.”
● „if you are unable or unwilling to disclose, always use a condom or do not have penetrative sex.”
● „if your partner’s HIV status is different from your own or unknown to you, always use a condom or do not have penetrative sex.”
EATG also emphasises that it is important not to baase behaviour on mere assumptions about the HIV status of partners.
We urge Pope Benedict XVI and the Holy See to immediately withdraw this detrimental, inconsiderate and potentially harmful statement, to apologise for its contents, and to acknowledge the true place and benefit of the use of condoms in the prevention of the spreading of HIV around the world.
About the EATG:
The EATG’s mission is to achieve the fastest possible access to state of the art medical products, devices and diagnostic tests that prevent or treat HIV infection or improve the quality of life of people living with HIV, or who are at risk of HIV infection.
For more information, visit the EATG website: www.eatg.org
Contact:
Nicole Heine
Policy Adviser
European AIDS Treatment Group
Place Raymond Blyckaerts 13
1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: 00 32 2 626 96 43
Fax: 00 32 2 644 33 07
