Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, proposed a new plan to end AIDS in the world. Clinton expressed her concern over the illness in a speech on Tuesday at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. She is one of the first to publicly set a standard for other nations to come forward and donate to the cause. With growing studies on male circumcision, multidrug cocktails for pregnant women, and getting the right drugs to patients with they are first infected are the targeted goals. Over 34 million people are combatting this ravaging disease. However, only 7 million are on treatment. Time, energy and money go hand in hand with this illness. American tax-payer money has gone into circumcising nearly one million African men. Many more men could benefit from the procedure to prevent the HIV virus, leading to AIDS. However, there is not enough money to support this goal. Luckily, more funding can go into treatment with President Bush out of office. President George W. Bush, when in office, only supported A B and C-abstinence, being faithful and using condoms. We now know that this is not effective in combatting AIDS.
As a public health major, I have spoken with many young girls through my independent study. They are sexually active at a very young age, many as early as 14. Many of these girls do not know what sex means. They are not given an adequate understanding of what the implications and affects sex has. My 18 year old cousin found out she is pregnant due to her parents not giving her an understanding as well as her school not providing information on birth control, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. I was happy to see Hillary Clinton propose this idea. Even though it is far-fetched at this time, it is a stepping stone to get people to think about the benefits. It is crucial to lay a strong foundation on HIV/AIDS through correct education. I believe if more focus goes into education, babies will not be born with the HIV virus. However, it will take time, money and extreme energy and focus across the world. An effort has to be made by all.
I believe that education can help overcome and provide solutions to many global issues. Becoming aware can make such a difference in peoples lives, which would not only help the individual, but people throughout the world. Granted it will take more than just education, but like you said, it is a stepping stone for improvement.
ReplyDeleteI agree, sex education is an excellent first step in fighting AIDS, because so many people are engaging in sexual activities it is important that everyone is informed. Second i also think that taxpayers should help support this, i mean the government already wasting large amounts of money on pointless things, why not put time and money into something that matters?
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