by Ed Forester

Created on: November 17, 2007

AIDS could be viewed as a natural means of stabilizing population growth, but more likely is the reality that AIDS is the consequence of human sexual tendencies. To examine whether this is the case, one can look at trends in Africa and the United States.

In African nations with high rates of HIV infection, there are corresponding social attitudes toward sexuality which allow for multiple partners, sex outside of marriage and homosexual practice and experimentation. In a population of individuals with high incidence of unprotected sex with many different partners over time, you are going to see a sexually transmitted virus flourish. That is what is happening in many African nations. In addition, the incidence of HIV and AIDS is further increased by passage of the virus from mother to child during gestation or through breast milk.

In the United States, HIV infection and AIDS incidence followed the homosexual subculture. Beginning in Haiti and West Africa, homosexual "sex tourists" began bringing the virus home to the United States in the late 1970s. Infection primary occurs during receptive anal sex and intravenous drug use. These two activities are common in the homosexual community. The virus spread quickly and tragically devastated the gay community. In this case, the AIDS virus didn't stabilize population growth, but it did "select" for homosexual populations, effectively killing many human beings.

AIDS cannot be thought of as a created virus or genocidal plan. The virus that causes the condition is a tiny retrovirus that is passed mainly through receptive anal sex. With safeguards to the blood supply and education programs, AIDS could be eliminated very quickly. It is behavior that is being stabilized by AIDS. If people do not wish to contract the virus which causes AIDS, they must refrain from engaging in receptive anal sex, sex with bisexual or promiscuous individuals, and users of IV drugs. These simple safeguards will protect most people from exposure to the virus which causes AIDS.

In short, AIDS can be considered a disease condition which stabilizes populations, but only in the short term. Since AIDS is linked directly with certain behavioral markers, public education campaigns can reduce incidence to a very low level.

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