PC IMPEDES AIDS PREVENTION

The only widespread program proven to curtail AIDS is known as the "ABC" approach. First pioneered in Uganda, ABC stands for "Abstinence, Be faithful, or use Condoms." Over the past 10 years, Ugandans were given the politically incorrect advice to abstain from sexual relations until after marriage. "No grazing," which meant no sex outside of a monogamous relationship, became the operative message. All persons, men and women alike, were seen as part of the solution.

So while the UNAIDS-sanctioned approach advocates "safer sex," Ugandans saw a message plastered on billboards that conveyed the opposite: "Have sex and die." The results confounded all the UNAIDS experts. In 1994, more than 60% of boys ages 13-16 were sexually active; by 2001, that figure had dropped to 5%. Dramatic changes were seen in other groups, as well -- in 1991, 21% of pregnant women in Uganda had HIV. Ten years later, only 6% of pregnant women had the deadly virus.

Outside of Uganda, feminist ideology has taken hold in the global struggle against AIDS. Article 14 of the UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS states, "...Gender equality and the empowerment of women are fundamental elements in the reduction of the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV/AIDS."