Debts and Debt Solutions

Beyond the Bubble: Colonialism's legacy & "local" conflict

Date 11/10/2005 12:00 AM | Topic: Opinion

Last week the focus of Pat Knapp's column, "The 'Right' Stuff" was HIV/AIDS (Vol. 128, No. 7, Nov. 3, 2005). Some of the column's statements implied a somewhat misguided picture of how international and domestic AIDS funding and prevention works.

In his column, Knapp refers to "the African kleptocrats" and "the World Bank crooks." In the same paragraph he cites corruption and "poor infrastructure" as the reasons for the region's supposedly poor progress in the fight against the spread of HIV and AIDS.

This is problematic for several reasons. First, Knapp makes passing mention of the World Bank's negative impact, but entirely ignores the reality of World Bank/IMF-sponsored Structural Adjustment Programs that cause many heavily indebted nations to devote huge proportions of their national budgets to paying off debt rather than on infrastructure upgrades, schools, healthcare, etc. What could stop this absurdity? American pressure on the World Bank and the IMF to institute debt relief certainly wouldn't hurt. The World Bank's headquarters is in Washington, D.C. and the United States, being as large as it is, has a relatively great amount of influence over the organization's actions.

Furthermore, U.S. policies also hinder the international fight against AIDS. For example, the current U.S. administration has a staunch position against reproductive choice. As a result, U.S. AIDS prevention and treatment or family planning funds cannot be used by clinics or organizations overseas that offer any sort of abortion services. Thus, despite abortion's legality in the United States itself, an international "gag rule" has been imposed in relation to U.S. AIDS funding, causing clinics to close and programs to deteriorate, cutting many people off from preventative education and healthcare for the sake of one understanding of morality purported by America's religious right.

Knapp does not offer many concrete solutions to the problem of funding for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, but simply seems to suggest that the United States pull funding until things appear to work more efficiently. The truth is, not every African government, nation, city, organization nor every African clinic is permeated by corruption or even by "poor infrastructure." Many HIV/AIDS programs are successful, and as Knapp thankfully points out, Uganda's "ABC" plan is a prime example.

Finally, in response to Knapp's comments about domestic efforts to stop AIDS in the United States, it is important to acknowledge that while he does identify the so-called "high risk" groups, he also suggests that most funding and prevention efforts be focused on these groups. I find this troubling, especially when you consider that women as a group now have the fastest-growing rate of infection and are more vulnerable to infection via heterosexual activity than are men. Also, according to a Centers for Disease Control study, women are 12 percent less likely than men to be prescribed optimal drugs for HIV treatment.

HIV/AIDS prevention and care must become universal. We must address all of the obstacles in the way of success and all responsible in order for true progress to be made.

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Lindsay Sumner

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