10/17/2003 Entry: "Or Else The Holy Ghost Will Poke Holes In Them."

I'm late, and preaching to the choir here, but Mark Morford reminded me of something I was thinking about this week.

First off, don't get me wrong here; I'm hardly one to defend the Catholic Church. (In fact I know quite a few devout Catholics who would be hard-pressed to defend everything the monolithic Capital-C "Church" does.) Telling people not to use condoms will just make the situation worse. And making up stories about how tiny viruses "pass through" latex barriers is just plain wrong.

But they do have a point, even if their reasoning is absurd. Condoms are not 100% effective. They're damn close, but they're not foolproof: They can be used improperly, they can get old and degrade, they can break. For the paranoid, the only absolutely 100% effective way to prevent HIV infection from a sexual partner is to not have insertive sex with them. (Or at all. Either way, how boring.) Of course, the same "effectiveness" argument could apply to SCUBA equipment and parachutes, but Cardinal Trujillo isn't telling people not to dive into water or fly in (or jump from) airplanes. Life is uncertain; deal with it.

Sure, abstinence and monogamy do work, when used correctly; but, just like condoms, people have to remember to use them every time.