Moral Responsibility of AIDS. There Are Three

¶ … moral responsibility of AIDS. There are three references used for this paper.

AIDS continues to be a growing epidemic throughout the world today, with irresponsibility playing a key role. It is important to look at the moral considerations that are raised by this issue.

Growth

Since 1981, the number of reported AIDS cases has grown to epidemic proportions. Worldwide, by the end of 2003, "there were 40 million adults and children living with HIV / AIDS, with 3 million of these individuals being infected with HIV / AIDS in 2003 alone (http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm)."

Important Viewpoint

In 2001, Pope John Paul II "urged those involved in the fight against AIDS to help young people develop what he called 'responsible maturity' in their love lives. He pointed out that the spread of the virus is part of a social context characterized by a serious crisis in values, and sex is a main way of transmitting the HIV virus which causes AIDS. He stated 'In this field, the international community can't ignore its own moral responsibility, but instead the fight against the epidemic must be inspired by a constructive vision of the dignity of man' (unknown, 2001)."

Moral Responsibility

The World Health Organization (WHO) points out that moral behavior is the responsibility of both sexes in the prevention of the spread of AIDS. Both men and women equally "share the right to refuse sex and assume responsibility for ensuring safe sex. In many societies, however, men have much more control than women over when, with whom and how they have sex, and therefore men need to assume greater responsibility for their actions (http://w3.whosea.org/hivaids/aidsfaq.htm)."

Many organizations feel it is the moral responsibility of developed country's governments to assist in AIDS prevention in developing countries. WHO stresses that individuals, both HIV positive and negative, "share responsibility for avoiding HIV infection / re-infection. However, many people, including women, children and teenagers, cannot negotiate safe sex because of low status in society or lack of personal power. Therefore men, whether knowingly infected or unaware of their HIV status, have a special responsibility of not putting others at risk (http://w3.whosea.org/hivaids/aidsfaq.htm)."

Important Role

Men and women need to be morally responsible for their actions today. The days of meaningless sex and one night stands are gone, and society as a whole needs to reevaluate its moral principles in order to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.