Iran's AIDS-prevention program among world's most progressive

[ECH1969]

Iran's fight against the spread of HIV hinges on a delicate give-and-take between activists who talk frankly about sex and drugs and the ruling ayatollahs, who fiercely protect the Islamic Republic's puritan image. The combination has made Iran the Middle East leader in preventing HIV and AIDS.

The country's program, which melds deep-rooted religious values with cutting-edge research, is being exported to Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Pakistan and other Muslim nations.

It still doles out floggings to Iranians caught with alcohol. Iran's characteristically unpredictable president surprised AIDS workers at a governmental meeting on the intertwined problems of opiate addiction and HIV by coming out in favor of methadone.

Iran's national response still faces obstacles, especially when it comes to reducing the shame and isolation that HIV-infected Iranians endure. The government reports 12,000 people with HIV; health workers say the real figure is closer to 70,000. Many HIV-positive Iranians are reluctant to tell relatives about their diagnosis, fearful they'll be cast out of their homes or fired from their jobs.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/14336547.htm

[ForPeace]

1. Maybe ..

we could get that program here too. Sounds good - "melds deep-rooted religious values with cutting-edge research," - we have abstinence only which is the "deep-rooted religious values" without the "cutting-edge research".

[hack89]

6. Shall we also hang gay men? nt

[David Zephyr]

7. Thanks for keeping this thread in perspective.

Iran is hardly a beacon of human rights.

[MadMaddie]

2. This is what is troubling about the * Cabal wanting to attack Iran...

before Iraq was attacked they had thriving metropolitan areas....
good hospitals....food ....working on electricity....

If Iran is attacked they same thing will happen...a thriving economy...advances in science...thriving metropolitan areas....food...working electricity....

This could turn into another debacle...

One more thing...good for them for making advances in the fight against Aids...

[pocket]

3. BS, years of sanctions had wrecked all that

[hippiechick]

9. Not to mention all the antiquities that were destroyed ...

... when we 'liberated' Iraq ... and that will be destroyed when we 'liberate' Iran ...

:cry:

[pocket]

4. Iranian hangs gays and women who have sex outside of marriage

that is their AIDS prevention

[MadMaddie]

5. Oh Don't get me wrong...I don't agree with the Iranian politics...

at all...

and sanctions did destroy Iraq...I just don't think bombing Iran into oblivion will garner world support for the US.....

[sweetheart]

8. really

I was wondering if the sycophantic talk would ever
notice the rather harsh methods.

[Kailassa]

10. Terrible as things are there regarding personal liberties,

there is every reason to believe that invading or bombing them would only make things worse.

In both Iraq and Afghanistan, our intervention has left those who want to enforce their religious puritanicalism in power, and it is likely that an attack on Iran would also garner more support for those idiots there.

[sweetheart]

13. Oh Shiva's Sacred Kailas

Nowhere in unearthing hypocrisy
is there any endorsement for imperialism,
or the side effects its wars, slavery,
adharma terrorizing with nuclear ethnocentrism.

Nowhere is anyone granted the right,
to threaten a billion with aggressive-war fascism,
Nowhere even in the constitution's light,
is there any possible way for such a schism.

But that all presumes we can read,
that our minds are not rotted on television,
working 2 jobs high on speed,
surviving today the principal vision.
No felonious warmonger has ever had the right,
not now, not ever, there will always be a fight.

[Kailassa]

15. Beautifully put.

:toast:

[oblivious]

11. Right, only gays get AIDS. Everyone knows that.

:sarcasm:

[Kailassa]

12. Pocket is not supporting what is done in Iran.

He/she is just pointing out how terrible and stupid the Iranian authorities are in their approach to fighting aids.

[William769]

14. Thats pure bullshit plain & simple

& anyone that believes it also believes Bush was elected President fairly twice.