research - Associated Student Government, Northwestern University

RESEARCHHealing More than aDISEASE:Catholic FBOs in Africa’s Era of HIV/AIDSABRIDGED VERSIONSub-Saharan Africa contains 68 percent of all AIDS cases but only 10 percent ofthe world’s total population. Over the years, fund raising and awareness of HIV/AIDS has increased drastically, but epidemiologists have failed to produce consistentsuccess in lowing HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in developing countries. Myresearch examines Catholic faith-based organizations (FBOs) providing HIV/AIDs care because of their heavy involvement in Africa and their view regardingcontraceptives. Opponents of FBOs fear that the religious will impose their ideasregarding sexual purity on the marginalized and create more obstacles in HIV/AIDS prevention by propagating stigmas and presenting an unrealistic strategicplan. However, my research shows that Catholics can be an effective governmentalpartner and in some cases have an advantage in fighting HIV/AIDS. Personalaccounts of fieldwork in Africa indicate that practices on the ground concentrateon issues other than sexuality, and an analysis of ethics show that historic viewson contraceptives may be waning. Furthermore, global health studies indicatethat the disease has social, economic, and cultural components that are stronglyinfluenced by the surrounding environment and that these factors must be addressedfor successful prevention and treatment. Catholics have established tiesin African communities and have a commitment to infrastructure developmentwhich has given them strength in addressing all aspects of the disease. My researchconcludes that all future HIV/AIDS strategies need to consider the diseasebeyond biomedical parameters.Anna MartinDEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIESLaurie ZolothFACULTY ADVISORDEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIESIntroductionToday over 33.3 million people are infected withHIV/AIDS and another 25 million have already diedfrom HIV/AIDS. 1 In the past two decades, remarkableprogress has been made. The developed world aptlyreduced HIV/AIDS prevalence rates among its owncitizens, but similar campaigns in Africa have failed toproduce consistent success.In 2003, President Bush created the President’s EmergencyPlan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) which dramaticallyincreased US governmental HIV/AIDS spending andprimarily supported twelve different countries in Africa. 2Controversy surrounded his decision to award aid to faithbased organizations (FBO), since HIV/AIDS preventiondepends on responsible sexual behavior. 3 Under theObama administration starting in 2008, FBOs have continuedto receive a large share of PEPFAR funding withCatholic Relief Services, the third largest recipient, receiving$103,000,000. 4VOLUME 7, 2011-2012Despite their heavy involvement, Catholics havethe most incompatible beliefs with secular HIV/AIDSprevention strategies because they view contraceptivesas intrinsically evil. Official Catholic policy considersthe use of condoms between sero-discordant marriagepartners in which case one partner is HIV-positive andthe other HIV-negative as illegitimate. Protestants alsopromote abstinence before marriage policies but do notobject to birth control within a marriage between serodiscordantcouples.While I do not want to dismiss the need for or importanceof condoms in the battle against HIV/AIDS, Iintend to show that developed countries’ obsession withsexual freedom and the power of medicine distorts theappropriate response. The culture-war on sexuality primarilyresides in developed countries and obscures thebenefits that FBOs contribute on the ground in developingcountries. This disease has sociological, cultural,and economic components that need an appropriateNORTHWESTERN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL13