HIV AIDS, The Church and Contraception

It was almost 12 years ago, back in school, when teachers first told us about HIV AIDS - and how it threatens to be a disease which will cause a great numbers of deaths in the coming years.

Africa was said to be the continent which had maximum numbers of people affected by AIDS. And even today, that is the case.

The chart below shows that more than 65% of people living with HIV AIDS stay in Africa.

What caused HIV AIDS to be prevalent in Africa? 

I vaguely remember reading an article somewhere, really long time back, which said that lack of usage of contraception was one of the major cause of AIDS in Africa.

And what caused this scarcity? As I recollect, the scarcity was artificial. The actual cause - the Church did not promote the usage of contraceptives.

Rather, "Did not promote" would be a wrong word - actually it was "Did not encourage"!!

For years, I wondered what made the Church not encourage a means which would prevent such a deadly disease.

Well, things became clear on Sunday 4th April 2010, when I read this news article.

The reasons stunned me!! They are quoted below

The Church opposes contraception, because it believes it interferes with the creation of life.

Any form of birth control that might interfere with conception, such as condoms or the Pill, is regarded as sinful by the Catholic Church. 

The Church also argues that, in any case, all children should be welcomed as a gift from God. 

Will it be too harsh for me to say that the Church believed in not interfering with the creation of life, thereby interfering in the prevention of a deadly disease?

Terror Attacks in Moscow, Russia

On 29th March, 2010, two terror attacks struck the veins of Moscow - the Moscow Metro!! :-(

Two suicide bombers carried out these deadly bombings inside the Metro cars at the Lubyanka and Park Kultury metro stations, killing 39 people!!

It was about 10.15 AM IST on the 29th, when a friend came to my desk to convey this sad news!! Working for a Russian Client, my thoughts immediately went towards the people who must have been traveling on those trains!!

Moscow Metro is one of the largest and most used subway system in the world!!

Approximately 6 million people use the Metro daily!! It is the cheapest and the most convenient rapid transit system in Moscow, which is a very large city, to say the least!!

I have been a regular traveler on the Moscow Metro (having stayed in Moscow for almost 9 months). And believe me, it is very very crowded during the morning rush hours, with hardly a place to stand in the carriage!!

And with the bombings being carried out during the morning rush hour, I thought the scale of disaster and devastation might be much higher!!

What made me all the more sad is that the second bombing took place at the Park Kultury Metro. This was the place where I got down and boarded the train, with my workplace just 5 minutes away from the Metro!!

Check this news article to read and see the horrific events on this day!!

These comments show the deep fear in the mind's of the people on that day -

"How horrible it is when you hear a blast behind your back. I was at Park Kultury at the moment of the blast. Thank God, I managed to enter the walkway tunnel between stations and I was not affected. There was lots of smoke and I could not figure out what was going on. Many people were lying in blood."

And this comment by one commuter highlights how such similar events have had a deep impact on his psyche!!

“I’ve seen loads of explosions in my time, and this was nothing. I’m fine. It was just a ‘pop’ like the kind if fire crackers we might let off at New Year.” He added that the reaction to the explosion was very calm.

Having a look at the videos, the reaction might have been calm for him - but certainly not for others!!

Check this YouTube Video link about the Moscow Metro!!

It highlights the sheer complexity and wide usage of this metro system!!

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Pictures can Mislead

If you think otherwise, have a look at the pictures below!!

This is Carla Bruni!!

And this too is Carla Bruni!!

Now which is the real Carla Bruni?? We can only guess!!