tinkerbelle said:
Jeez people. No need to jump all over icecream4me. She's not saying that she doesn't want a cure for AIDS. But think about what she is saying. It is an interesting point of view. How many times do we hear that the world is already over populated? We can't care for all the people who deserve food and shelter and medical care right now. The AIDS epidemic is helping keep the population under control. But then again, you could also say that people will become healthier and work more, and economies will be able to deal with the increased poplulation. Who knows. But seriously, y'all need to be more *open-minded* instead of immediately saying something is a stupid idea.
Over populated is a matter of opinion, poorly managed resources is a matter of fact-which probably to some is debatable.
Now, onto AIDs:
HIV infection as population control:
False. Or at least very ineffective. Population control starts with family planning clinics and the like, with the goal being for a society to reach "replacement rates" of approx 1.5 children per couple. Now there are Scandanavian countries who actually have had a negative population growth.
Now the population pyramid:
For developing countries, there is a reasonable part of the population in the "most productive" segment (18-35), with decreasing numbers as you get older, and the bulk under 5. This is due to survivability rates. Childhood illness kills off some, so they don't survive to be 18, then accidents, violence, illness take some more, leaving very few to survive to 60. Especially considering that there has been a decrease in life expectancy for some Sub-Sahara African countries. (it would be easier w/ graphs, sorry).
In the developed world, once children began to survive past five, people started to have less kids. Call it a "market correction." It was something that was natural, b/c there was less need for 13 kids in the hopes that 4 survive to adulthood. Developing nations aren't there yet.
Okay back to the fact that in Sub-saharan africa especially, AIDs is affecting those most productive in society. There is a huge lack of skilled labors, and also a growing fear among some companies on why train some one who's probably going to die in a few years then will need to be replaced, so the technical jobs get outsourced. These people contribute to the burden of disease by calling out sick, using up benefits (if available), which decreases the economic productivity of a country. This group also tends to make up the majority of consumer purchases, and not working (due to the AIDs related illness), they increase their debt & decrease saving. In effect, AIDs is collapsing the economies and the structure of many countries.
HIV/AIDs lowers fertility. True, but not enough that infected individuals are infertile, they can still have children.
In developing countries, social security programs for the aged are non-existent or poorly managed. So when the older generation stops working, their children care for them. B/c of AIDs epidemic, now many of the older generation are having to go back to work (much of which is unskilled labor), and also care for their sick now adult child.
AIDs orphans. No population control here. These are children orphaned b/c they have HIV, or one or both of their parents died from AIDs. In the case of a single orphan, the surviving parent may have abandoned them to an orphanage or left them with relatives. Conditions in these environments lend themselves to exploitation.
Now, the children whose parents are HIV positive, drop out of school b/c there is no money to pay school fees and buy the medicine, or in the case of the elder child, there is no one else to look after their sick parent. These children often engage in risk behaviors themselves b/c of the stress associated with their parents. Some girls (young, like 12) become more or less the girlfriends of older men who pay their school fees. (this is mainly in sub-Saharan Africa).
Sorry if this doesn't read well, and seems scattered, but I hope it gets the point across.
I second the recommendation of Sen's Development as Freedom, and maybe Infections and Inequalities by Paul Farmer, there are lots of other books, but they may be a bit more technical than you'd prefer.
😳 .
?Then you may advocate for war as a means of population control! 😡
