Friday, May 06, 2005

Go Brazil

Brazil has just refused a $40 million anti-AIDS grant from the US because one of conditions of the grant was condemning prostitution. It was not explained what exactly the condemnation entailed (saying "prostitution bad, fire bad, tree pretty"? banning prostitution and condemning prostitutes in a court of law? having a Catholic priest condemn prostitutes to hell?), but the Brazilian officials, not unreasonably, figured that condemning prostitution is not very conductive to the anti-HIV work among prostitutes, and rejected the grant. Good for them. Probably good for us too, in a way of a reality check.

Could you imagine a bigger waste of $40 million than spending it on telling people not to fuck? Especially considering the recent study saying that thus-brainwashed teenagers, at least in the US, tended to prefer anal sex to the regular one as a virginity-preserving measure. Yeah, this would really stop the spread of HIV.

No comments: