AIDS: Developing Questions and Perspectives*

Dr. S. Lourdunathan**

1. HIV (Human Immune deficiency Virus causes) AIDS (Acquired immune Deficiency Syndrome). Eventually a person affected by AIDS suffers many diseases and infections. Consequently, of AIDS a person is sentenced to death, in the most powerful way. (All Powerful) 2. The AIDS virus HIV is most benevolent one and it donates itself through several ways: Through Homo and Heterosexual contacts\intercourse; through exchange of blood, through birth process.(Most-pervading) 3. Race, religion, Caste, language, social status, frontiers, Sex, drug etc., are no barriers to AIDS. It enjoys the preferential (discretion) power to affect (embrace) the easily vulnerable ones children, women, men, doctors, nurses, the poor, and the rich alike. (All-embracing, epidemic, infectious and hence truly demographic) 4. AIDS was first described in 1981. Since then the scientific-research community is geared to find scientific (medical) solutions (to develop a vaccine) to this killing-problem. Nevertheless, AIDS is not stopped. We are now living in the third decade of AIDS description. Science has not yet found a vaccine to stop AIDS. The net result of many researches on AIDS end up in warning us, that no quick technological solution will be found. (I am of the opinion that Science alone can not find solution to AIDS (because AIDS is not only a medical issue but interconnectedly it is a social issue) The scientific researches over the last three decades end up with mere suggestions that take the advisory form of Be aware! We have a killing dog with out taking into account that the dog is already there tied at the avenues of economic (singularized) model of development. Social scientists with all their statistical ability continue to provide statistical records of number of people who are affected by AIDS (usually in millions) but yet not sufficiently and radically analyzed the social, economical, political and ethical factors that tie up (force) AIDS into veins of humanity. Realistically speaking, while we must confront the reality of AIDS we have also learnt to live positively with AIDS. 5. The Scope of AIDS and a Questionable Analysis: 5.1. Is there any relation between the spread of Capitalism and the spread of AIDS? Is there any relation between market economy and AIDS found in the transnational markets?

**

Session-I, Chair person address at the State level seminar on AIDS A socio-psycho perspectives, org. by the dept. of RDS,(AAC) 0n Feb 28-30, 2002.

Head, Department of Philosophy, Arul Anandar College (Autonomous), Karumathur, Madurai-Dt

5.2. 5.3. 5.4. 5.5. 5.6.

5.7. 5.8. 5.9.

Is there any relation amongst poverty and (sex-work) prostitution and AIDS? Should we assume that those sex workers involve in prostitution willingly and voluntarily? Is there any relation between urbanization and the increase of AIDS? Is there any relation between modernization and AIDS? Is there not a relation between Racism, newer-forms colonization with AIDS? Why that AIDS is famously prevalent in the geo-political regions of colonolizations? Is there any relation between (poor people\womens \children born to AIDS affected persons) powerlessness (structured in the society) and AIDS? In a male dominated society (whether mono or heterosexual it may be) Women and the poor people are vulnerable to poor health, enduring poverty, less access to healthy social living, and sexual domination. Is there any relation between less effective treatment to the poor and the spread of AIDS? AIDS register higher rate of mortality. Does it imply that maintenance of AIDS is a tactic of population control? Is there not a direct or an indirect relation between allotment of funds and non-accessibility of these funds by the poor? Is there not a relation between allotment of project funds for the prevention of AIDS and not spending it for the objective of the funds? Does it not imply a sense of unwillingness to spend the funds which in turn maintains AIDS? (After all one needs a social problem to guarantee the continuos and flow of funds)

6. The one sided economic model of development needs someone (the vulnerable other) to be poor \ a cheap labourer \ raw material. Capitalistic amazement of richness by the few at the expense of many (nations and people) ties down (structures) poverty in society. Poverty is therefore social, structural, and a forced reality. Poverty is therefore pre-set. Some are treated untouchable not because they choose to be so, the touchable man wants an untouchable in order that he retains and enjoy his social status of touchability or superiority. The poor are forced to urbanization modernization with the mad hope that they would be developed. Unfortunately, AIDS has become part of the urbanized \ modernized technological culture. Realistically, AIDS has grown along with our lopsided forms of development strategies. The enlightenment epoch with its claims of Reason Science progress profit achievement and success have silently and simultaneously infected AIDS as well. 7. If one could appreciate the logic of this argument and support them with sufficient sociological evidences then he can easily see the connections between Capitalism colonization Urbanization 2

poverty and AIDS. (i) An increase in newer ways of capitalism is directly proportional to the increase in AIDS patients. AIDS is therefore, historically structured in mode of social and economical system. (ii) A decrease in the accessibility of funds and efficient health care systems is indirectly proportional to the fast spreading and maintenance of AIDS. (iii) Alternatively, attempt towards a radical questioning of the systems of discrimination (and a radical decrease in poverty) is directly proportional to the decrease of AIDS and many other social problems. (The problem is that AIDS social action education programs lack such perspectives) 8. Perspectives: P1-P2-P3 model. {Positive care of those affected by AIDS, Prevention (medical and health care system), Structural Analysis of Problem (a program of \ for a social/ethical-education)} P1: Positive Care (Psychological) Positive Care to those Persons With AIDS (PWA) is one of most important dimensions of community caring. Persons With AIDS (PWA) poor but are forced sell the pills (supplied by voluntary agencies to slow down their death) to medical shops in order to guarantee their familys next meal. (like those people in our villages who pledge\sell their familys Ration card to buy food) PWA are children born and continue to be born with AIDS (through prenatal transmission) (innocent victims) are tagged with the name of AIDS and are born to suffer and die.PWA are sex workers (mostly women and children) who are HIV positive, suffer sexual domination, reduced to mere objects that fulfill the basic urge\need called Sex. Doctors, nurses, hospital assistants, social workers, patients etc are affected by AIDS because they cared AIDS patients and are affected due to poor hospital conditions and insane conditions. (Prevention of HIV is a multi dollar business now) There are different types of Persons with AIDS at the international scenario. But all have one thing in common that is AIDS and they suffer untold sufferings (trauma). They suffer social stigma, social discrimination, social hostility, forced isolation, prejudice, depression leading to suicides (the number suicide deaths are on an increase in the first world countries and the methods of suicides vary from suffocation, drug, firearms etc) fear for information, (from being informed to others of their AIDS), incessant dependency, denial of care, and so on. P2: Preventive & Protective measures (medical) Since AIDS is directly affective (effect) of health whose destiny is but Death (in the most surest way possible), Scientific research solution is a must. It calls for the development of medicine or vaccine alone, however necessary it may be. We should keep in mind developing a vaccine or
3

adopting protective or preventive measures is only a treatment of the effect of the problem) and not the cause itself. Various types of preventive methods are suggested. Broadly they may be classified into two types the natural preventive methods and the artificial preventive methods. Safe or Controlled Sex, Sex strictly for procreation, Natural planning, Social awareness programs like Be aware of AIDS & Say No to AIDS (as if those who are affected by AIDS voluntarily said Yes to AIDS) etc fall under the category of the natural preventive methods of AIDS. Ensuring the use of Condoms (Church is not in favor of using condoms and church is one of hardest place to mobilize people to work against AIDS), distributing print-outs and condoms at the public places, protection from HIV infectious mediations such as universal mandatory testing, forcing for Screening Blood, ensuring AIDS free certificate, use of clean needles, etc, are some of the artificial methods of preventing AIDS. But the difficulty here, is however natural or artificial they may be the cause of AIDS is beyond the scope of natural or artificial methods of prevention. AIDS encroach both natural and artificial preventive frontiers. Dilemmas only There are hot debates in the medical field on the choice of the safest preventive methods vis-a-vis the unsafe ones. Consequently, there are different sets of dilemmas regarding the social and moral impacts of AIDS. For example: Is AIDS Gods Punishment? Should doctors maintain professional confidentiality on matters of AIDS? If they do so, will it not pave way for more AIDS patients? Or if they break their confidentiality, would not the AIDS affected persons loose their social status, job and are forced to suffer social hostility? In such a situation, what is moral obligation? If one obeys the moral obligation of maintaining confidentiality, what about the social implication? Is moral obligation absolute or relative? Is the use of condom the safest way to sex? If the use of condoms is propagated among the youth, will it not pave way for a kind of free sex society? Are not the youth vulnerable to experimentation by which the problem becomes more pertinent. What about those innocent victims who suffer AIDS? Should they be cared to die? Who is to own responsibility to these innocent victims who is to be found fault with and what is the correcting measure and whether at all any corrective measures for AIDS available? If an American affects an African, an Indian affects an American, and an Indian is affected an English and so on. (Add here, regress or progress).... Now, Who is culpable? Should marriages require AIDS Free Certificate? Should companies ask for AIDS free certificate for employment? An innocent victim of HIV positive ought not, he be admitted religious life? If not why not?
4

What is the priority -the ethical (spiritual) decision or the social decision? Should the LIC agency demand an AIDS Free Certificate to realize ones policy? If HIV positive has he not the right to lifeguarantee? To get a seat at AAC, if we have a rule that one should produce AIDS Free Certificate and if one has AIDS, does it imply that he has no right to education? Should immigrants be a allowed for a window period? Do all these imply that an HIV positive person is noperson at all? Though enactment of laws are fundamental, laws alone do not suffice to solve problems. Experience tells us that All laws by themselves have not restored homes, not rectified racism, and not removed discriminations. This implies a question on attitudes of persons on others. Thus, there is host of moral dilemmas that surround AIDS. Solutions are no means easy but this does not imply that there is no solution at all. What we need is a collective and political will to care the persons with AIDS positively. P3: Problem analysis (Social analysis and education and Action) Since the radical cause of AIDS is social (historically structural), solution to AIDS can not be simplistic or one sided. More over, since the specific type of economic model of development (that justifies global colonization) solution to AIDS must begin from the structural analysis of the Problem. Discrimination, Poverty, and AIDS are intrinsically related issues. The global spread of the AIDS epidemic will not be stopped or even slowed down until WE rethink of our understanding of model of development into economic sphere and that too in the hands of multinational corporations with an international recognition towards their marketing strategies. Taking the Gospel seriously: (Spirituality of AIDS) Humans at the event of the third-decade celebration of the description of AIDS need to take the Gospel of Care and Love seriously to PWA.The gospel of love and care is meant for those who are broken, for those who are discriminated, for those who would otherwise be forgotten, for those who would never be allowed to the temples and Churches, namely Persons with AIDS (The AIDS affected people are not welcome in the community\temples\chruches due to prejudice, prohibitions and preventive attitudes), and to those persons who are socially stigmatized and treated untouchables. Is this kind of a Renewed vision and practice a possibility? Thank You

Panoramic view of Pandemic Mapping HIV & AIDS: More than 133 countries now have AIDS Briazil is the 6th most populous country in the world and fourth in the absolute number of AIDS cases. It is estimated that in 1995 itself there had been 87,000 deaths due to AIDS\HIV Canada (1992) had 6100 cases of AIDS. Atleast 30,000-50,000 cases of HIV positive registered In China there has been a steady increase in the number of AIDS\HIV positive cases from 1991 onwards. France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy (in 1982 alone 14,000 AIDS 100,000 HIV positive) Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Turkey, United States, India, Thailand, Philippines etc In India HIV is transmitted through prostitution most from the Cities through Kidney transfers. AIDS today is virtually intransigent. In 1992, it is estimated that 10 millions of HIV would be turned into 40 million of HIV cases in the world. Sex, a basic urge, is activated by the use of psychoactive drugs becomes not an addiction but an habit We are sitting on a Volcano. Unwelcome opportunity for disaster a) TASO: The AIDS Support Organization a community action for empathy.