Brazil to U.S.: Keep Your Money

[Troubleshooter]

http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/21965/

Brazil has rejected $40 million in U.S. funds for fighting AIDS because of demands that it condemn prostitution, a key participant in its flagship AIDS program. The move is seen by some observers as a rejection of Washington's head-in-the-sand linkage of neo-con morality and foreign aid.

''Biblical principles [are] their guide, not science," Pedro Chequer, director of Brazil's AIDS program told media outlets on Wednesday. "This premise is inadequate because it hurts our autonomous national policy."

Acting in accordance with a 2003 federal law, U.S. Congress demanded that Brazil publicly condemn prostitution before accepting the funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID. Prostitution is a legal industry in Brazil and a key civic player in fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS.

...more...

[jaguar]

good on them.

[OnyxCougar]

Wanting them to ban prostitution isn't *only* based on religious premise but *duh* scientifically proven to reduce AIDS cases.

I hate how people make everything religious. Taking the religious aspect out of it, not having sex with 10-20 people a day (or with people who have sex with other people every day) reduces your risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.

So yeah, I think that if you're going to accept money from us to reduce AIDS, you need to revamp your policy allowing prostitution. It's cool if you don't want the money, you're not hurting *my* feelings any.

And remind me not to sleep with any Brazilians.

[jaguar]

but *duh* scientifically proven to reduce AIDS cases.

er...really? Where. How exactly do you stop it anyway?

[OnyxCougar]

.....

One of the best ways to avoid contracting an STD is to not engage in sexual behavior with multiple partners.

Where are you going with this, Jag?

[Troubleshooter]

If I may Jaguar?

Prohibition

[OnyxCougar]

OK, since I'm completely lost, I'll just quit now.

[lookout123]

i'm not really in favor of waging combat on prostitution, but maybe if it wasn't quite so widespread and a large part of your tourist draw, you wouldn't have quite as many folks swapping DNA... just a thought.

[Beestie]

Why are we giving money to Brazil anyway? Let Brazil fight its own AIDS problem and put that $40M to work right here in America.

Originally Posted by jaguar

How exactly do you stop [a sexually transmitted disease] anyway?

Dude, like, where's my car?

[lookout123]

beestie has the right idea. we can use the $40MM to test any Brazilians who want to come to the US. let them figure out their own HIV solutions. what have they ever given us? other than the thong. and the brazilian bikini wax. and LOTS of beautiful women. with sexy accents. now that i think of it, maybe we could spend that $40MM to search their nation and help their clean, non-whore, beauties move to the US... arizona would be a good place for them i guess.

[Beestie]

Brazil to U.S.: Keep Your Money

U. S. to Brazil: Keep Your AIDS

[Silent]

I think the point is that a legalized prostitution industry can be regulated. Regular testing for STD's with guidelines (condoms, dental dams only) etc. will result in a safer sexual enviroment then if you ban prostitution which will just cause the problem to go underground and beyond any control.

[wolf]

You still have people that work grey and black market. Doesn't really work. Medical screening only identifies a problem after the fact, at which point, the infection has already spread.

[Troubleshooter]

Originally Posted by lookout123

...what have they ever given us? other than the thong. and the brazilian bikini wax. and LOTS of beautiful women. with sexy accents. now that i think of it, maybe we could spend that $40MM to search their nation and help their clean, non-whore, beauties move to the US... arizona would be a good place for them i guess.

http://www.health24.com/news/Plastic...-938,21663.asp

Silimed exports 65% of their products
The silicone used for eight out of every 10 Brazilian women who elect to have breast enlargement surgery, comes from Silimed, as the Brazilian manufacturer is called. Silimed also exports 65% of their products and is the third largest supplier of breast implants in the world.

Silimed is to open a new plant this summer, which will be capable of producing three times the number of silicone packs. This will send production up to half a million silicone packs per year. The Brazilians have their eye on the US market.

[jaguar]

Silent is on the right track, you can't stop prostitution, making it illegal just makes it harder for them to get help and keep safe. At least with regular screen, treatment and promotion of the use of protection you can minimise the damage rather than moralising and pretending it doesn't happen. It doesn't make the problem go away but it's better than nothing. Very detailed writeup here. To quote:

With sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and herpes, prostitutes must be monitored to prevent the spread of these afflictions. Chancroid, a STD typically found in third world nations, is occurring in places throughout the U.S. due to transmission brought on through illegal prostitution (Schmid, Sanders, Blount & Alexander, 1987). Chancroid makes ulcers in the vagina that assist with the spread of HIV/AIDS.

A Public Health Review of Chancroid from the World Health Organization stated:

In Kenya, where the importance of chancroid in HIV transmission was first described in the late 1980s, interventions targeting sex workers and STD patients were implemented. Reported condom use by sex workers has since increased to over 80% in project areas and the incidence of genital ulcers has declined. Chancroid, once the most common ulcer etiology, now accounts for fewer than 10% of genital ulcers seen in clinics in Nairobi, Kenya.

In Senegal, HIV prevalence among pregnant women has been below 1% for more than a decade. A strong multisectoral response, an effective STD control programme and early legalization of prostitution have been credited for this low level. Special clinical services, for example, offer regular examination and treatment for registered sex workers. Not only has there been a significant decline in STD rates among sex workers and pregnant women between 1991 and 1996, but genital ulcers are also no longer common and chancroid is reportedly rare. (Steen, 2001)