Dear Editor,
Jamaica's Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right to freedom of expression "as is demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society".
Every individual/organisation, including the University of the West Indies, is obliged to protect this right. However, no one has to pay you for misrepresenting facts in pursuit of your own personal ideology.
Professor Bain is a devout fundamentalist Christian and objects to homosexuality. He further alleges that threatening consenting adult males with 10 years in prison at hard labour for their private acts of intimacy is an effective way to prevent the spread of HIV. However, this is simply not true.
The fact is, Jamaica's 1864 anti-buggery law has not prevented the country from having the highest HIV prevalence rate among men who have sex with men (MSM) worldwide. Further, this rate is nearly two times as high as any other country that has decriminalised same-gender intimacy.
Professor Bain's stance on scientific evidence has probably hurt the reputation of the region's premier university, which is known for its intellectual rigour. He has also lost the confidence of those groups across the region that are coordinating the HIV response. The UWI, therefore, had no choice but to terminate Professor Bain's contract as director of the regional programme responsible for training health care professionals in managing HIV.
As the minister of health recently reminded us, tough decisions have to be made to end cultural and religious-inspired stigma and discrimination, which are driving the spread of HIV.
Maurice Tomlinson
Montego Bay
mat@aidsfreeworld.org
Tough situation, tough decision
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Jamaica's Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right to freedom of expression "as is demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society".
Every individual/organisation, including the University of the West Indies, is obliged to protect this right. However, no one has to pay you for misrepresenting facts in pursuit of your own personal ideology.
Professor Bain is a devout fundamentalist Christian and objects to homosexuality. He further alleges that threatening consenting adult males with 10 years in prison at hard labour for their private acts of intimacy is an effective way to prevent the spread of HIV. However, this is simply not true.
The fact is, Jamaica's 1864 anti-buggery law has not prevented the country from having the highest HIV prevalence rate among men who have sex with men (MSM) worldwide. Further, this rate is nearly two times as high as any other country that has decriminalised same-gender intimacy.
Professor Bain's stance on scientific evidence has probably hurt the reputation of the region's premier university, which is known for its intellectual rigour. He has also lost the confidence of those groups across the region that are coordinating the HIV response. The UWI, therefore, had no choice but to terminate Professor Bain's contract as director of the regional programme responsible for training health care professionals in managing HIV.
As the minister of health recently reminded us, tough decisions have to be made to end cultural and religious-inspired stigma and discrimination, which are driving the spread of HIV.
Maurice Tomlinson
Montego Bay
mat@aidsfreeworld.org
Tough situation, tough decision
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