February 10, 2004

Squirt Guns and Forest Fires

I was surfing for the latest from Brazil today when this headline caught my eye:

Brazil Prepares for Carnival with Condom Campaign

The article began:

Brazil's Health Ministry will dole out 10 million free condoms to carnival revelers in an AIDS prevention campaign ahead of the country's biggest blowout of the year,

Health Minister Humberto Costa made the announcement today.

"Nothing gets through a condom. Use one and check it for yourself," the ministry's national radio and television campaign suggests.

A couple of quick facts:

Condoms do fail. A quick perusal of websites pertaining to the subject will show this to be true. Even sites which promote the use of condoms admit to a 12 to 14 percent failure rate.

Condoms are more apt to fail when they are used improperly due to impairments in the judgment and physical dexterity of the users. In other words, if someone attempts to use a condom while inebriated (as most Carnaval celebrants are, to some extent), there is a greater risk of condom failure.

Of course, Brazil must do something to stop the crisis of AIDS and STD's in the country...and Carnaval is the chief culprit, as the ABC article points out.

Mr Costa said the campaign is aimed at highlighting how condoms can prevent AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases as Brazil prepares for the February 20-24 carnival, a week of festivities that includes parades with scantily clad women and sexually-charged parties.

This whole situation brings to mind the admonition of Proverbs 6:27-28"

Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?

In other words, can a people escape the natural consequences of their sin?

They cannot, but that does not stop them from trying.

The campaign will use public billboards, including one showing a fish swimming inside a condom.

In one television add, one man pours beer into a condom to convince a friend that it can hold back anything.

The campaign was launched because a study last year showed 15 per cent of sexually-active Brazilians do not believe condoms can stop diseases, Mr Costa said.

My heart goes out to those who--convinced by these advertisements--engage in promiscuous activity, and find themselves in the 12 to 14 percent for whom condoms did not work.

As for this particular program of the Brazilian government, it is like passing out squirt guns to residents in the path of a forest fire, instead of urging them to get out of the way.

Read the entire ABC News article here.

Posted by Andrew on February 10, 2004 1:12 PM.