If a disease can be prevented, why wouldn’t that figure into any effort to cure the disease?
President Obama has pledged to shift $100 million into research efforts to find a cure for HIV and AIDS in the U.S. and another $5 billion for the global fund to fight AIDS.
Curing any disease is a worthy goal. If you’ve ever seen pictures of someone with HIV/AIDS it is a horrible affliction, though drugs have allowed many with the disease to lead better lives and that is good.
But the first letter in AIDS stands for "acquired." It's an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. With the exception of babies and the few who still receive tainted blood, AIDS can be prevented by not engaging in the behavior that puts people most at risk.
Political correctness won’t allow politicians to speak of changing behavior because that would get into the gay debate and few want to go there. I’m all for curing AIDS and HIV. But I’m also all for preventing people from getting it in the first place and telling them how to protect themselves.
I’m Cal Thomas in Washington.
Publication date: December 4, 2013
