Project Prevention feels it is crucial to educate HIV/AIDS positive women on long term birth control

ON THIS "WORLDS AIDS DAY" we know many things will be discussed, but we're sure birth control will not be one of them. Project Prevention (www.ProjectPrevention.org) feels it is crucial to not just work towards curing infants with AIDS, but also to work on getting  women living with HIV/AIDS  on long term birth control to prevent future pregnancies that may result in suffering children. Why are we allowing the suffering to continue when it can be prevented? 

Too often in this Country and around the World rather then preventing tragedies from happening we ignore a small problem until it has become a huge problem then spend billions of dollars to try to fix it.

Lets try a new approach this time. Project Prevention has already lined up a Kenyan Dr. who will place IUD's in Kenyan women who are HIV/AIDS positive for $7 American money. We are paying the woman 40 American dollars to use as they please. So for only 47 American dollars we have prevented future pregnancies that may result in infants born HIV positive who would suffer daily and most will die before age 5. All this human suffering is preventable.

In sub-Saharan Africa over 2.5 million children under the age of 15 have died of AIDS. Most of these children were exposed to HIV during labor or breastfeeding. Kenya falls within sub-Saharan Africa

(NASCOP) estimates that there are 1.2 million babies born each year in Kenya and that 10% of the pregnant women in Kenya are living with HIV/AIDS. At least 50,000 to 60,000 infants in Kenya are thought to become infected with HIV each year. Most children born with HIV die before they reach their fifth birthday, with most not surviving even two years.

It is not enough to read these numbers and say, "Oh my God that is awful!"  We must work to change those numbers by getting the HIV/AIDS positive women on long term birth control. That is the only way those numbers will become fewer. For a donation of $47 you can prevent the conception of a child who will only be born to die. It is 2010 and doing nothing is no longer an option for any of us. Please help Project Prevention to help prevent suffering in children of Africa.

Comments

  1. Lydia Guterman Lydia Guterman United States says:

    To say the least, it is disturbing that Project Prevention's work to restrict the reproductive choices of women living with HIV in Kenya is considered 'medical news' by the editors of News-Medical.net. In fact, there is nothing medically legitimate or science or evidence-based about Barbara Harris's work to target poor women of color in Kenya (or in the USA or UK where she also works).

    On the surface, offering HIV+ women money to accept long-term contraception may not seem so bad. Maybe it even sounds good. But the practice stems from the root–the belief that certain women, including those with HIV, have no right to have children. This is a pernicious belief that is founded on nothing but ignorance and prejudice. Instead of working to restrict women’s reproductive choices, surely we should be fighting to ensure that all women have access to the medicines and health care they need for themselves and their families.

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
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