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KSAPS; Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (http://stg1.kar.nic.in/ksaps/Home.html) is a Special Cell constituted under the Directorate of Health & Family Welfare Services by Government of Karnataka in 1997. It mainly aims at HIV/AIDS Prevention along with extending Care & Support to the infected.
Lets read it all again - To prevent HIV/AIDS, we have to abstain from pre & extra marital sex, should be faithful to our partner & use condoms. Well, doesn't it sound to be revolving only around SEX? For me, it is! Rightly, it should be.. since, that indeed is the major cause.
Abstain from Pre & Extra Marital Sex
In somewhere around 2005, well-known actress Kushboo said in an interview given to a magazine "pre-marital sex was fine; provided safety measures are followed to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. No educated man would expect his wife to be a virgin". This resulted in filing of 22 (if am not wrong) cases against her, which the Supreme Court recently quashed. Ok, coming back, 'Abstain' seems to be the perfect word used; and yes, it should be ones own decision to keep away from Pre & Extra Marital Sex to prevent HIV/AIDS. No issues.
Be faithful to your Partner
Of course! We should be. It seems more like an emotional/sentimental way of tackling. When one cannot really 'abstain' h(im/er)self, at least this trick may work. No issues.
Use Condoms
*~@#&^$!! What does this mean? It sounds a bit of 'controversy' (at least to me). Does this mean to say if one cannot avoid pre & extra marital sex nor be faithful to partner, can safely use 'Condom' and 'Enjoy'? Earlier, it was told to avoid pre & extra marital sex; but now, by saying 'use condoms' do they want to mean the converse? Or, is it a 'clever' way of encouraging pre & extra marital sex (might not be)? Or, does it mean that pre & extra marital sex cannot be totally 'stopped' - so 'safely use condoms'?
Know AIDS - No AIDS
Does it mean to say that one should know Condoms help preventing from getting infected with HIV/AIDS and safely indulge in Sex by using them? If that is the case, what was the need to say 'A' and 'B' to begin with?
I personally have always been thinking that CONDOM shouldn't ever be a preventive measure to HIV/AIDS. Because, it indirectly may give the impression that - it is fine to have Sex with any number of (wo)men. When our lives are been built upon strong foundation of 'monogamy' preached in our great epic Ramayana (Mahabaharatha is a contrary, should seriously start finding substantiating evidences if HIV/AIDS did exist then), how would such concepts be promoted and popularized amongst us? I think KSAPS should be very cautious while releasing such advertisements in public; not just making some (ir)relevant statements. Being a Government of Karnataka undertaking, there should have been some 'real intellectuals' working behind such 'crucial' & 'responsible' propaganda.
UPDATE:
ReplyDeleteA week after my post, the above discussed sign board has been removed! Never know it was intentional or coincidental or accidental or fortunate or unfortunate. But, this has given me a lot of push-up to go and debate furthermore. :o)