THE EDITOR, Sir:WORLD AIDS Day for 2005 is now behind us, but the impact of this deadly disease still remains with us in Jamaica. We must never forget that we are in the region with the second-highest rate of contraction of the disease.
The Ministry of Health must be commended for the excellent work put into promoting AIDS prevention for the day. The Marlene Stephenson-produced programme held at Sam Sharpe Square was for the most part, very uplifting.
It was produced on behalf of the Ministry of Health under the theme 'Stop AIDS - Keep the Promise'. I would like to leave three thoughts I shared with the large crowd gathered, using the creation story in the Bible as a reference.
The first thought is that adolescents and children must abstain from sex. When God made Adam and Eve, they were created as adults. The lesson from this is that the formation of family and romantic relationships are adult activities. The statistics produced by our authorities are alarming: 25 per cent of our girls between 15 and 19 are having sex regularly.
No wonder 20 per cent of our births in Jamaica are from this segment of the population. In addition, HIV/AIDS is the third leading cause of death for teenagers. One can deduce, therefore, that adolescents seem to have the physical capacity and emotional desire for intercourse but they do not have the holistic development or balance to handle it.
The second point is that one man should have a romantic relationship with one woman. When God made Adam, He only made one Eve. It is well known by health professionals that a major cause of HIV/AIDS globally is the multiple partner scenarios that exist.
A third point is that a man should marry a woman when he decides that this is the person he is going to have a serious intimate relationship with. When God made Adam and Eve the Bible said: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife." Several studies have shown that the quality of life of cohabitation is lower than that of a marriage.
Let's get serious about HIV/AIDS and do it the Bible way.
I am etc.,
STEVENSON SAMUELS
stevensonsam@yahoo.com
General Secretary
Students Christian Fellowship & Scripture Union
