Exclusion of condom promotion in HIV-AIDS Policy Act puts ideology over public safety — HRW

The approval of the Senate Bill No. 1390 or the Philippine HIV-AIDS Policy Act of 2018 on its third and final reading was seen as a landmark victory by health advocates fighting to reduce the cases of infections in the country.

But the Human Rights Watch (HRW) remains skeptical.

In a statement published on Tuesday, Carlos H. Conde of the HRW called the lack of instructions for the government to promote condom use is "a big mistake" because  it gives priority to ideology over scientific fact.

"The failure to make promotion of condom use an official government priority reflects a damaging defeat by the ideological biases of conservative lawmakers and the Catholic Church over proper public health practice," the statement continued.

While the proposed law will make resources more accessible to the Philippine National AIDS Council as well as make testing more accessible by lowering the age of testing without parental consent from 18 to 15 years old among other things, HRW insists that spreading the message that condoms are scientifically proven to be one of that best methods to prevent HIV transmission must be integrated into the law. 

Amid the alarming rise of new cases and reports of a new resistant strain of the virus, the Department of Health has continued to ramp up its information campaign on the disease, with a focus on encouraging more people to get tested.

READ: As HIV cases rise, DOH asks public: 'Don't wait for symptoms. Get tested now'

In a statement shared with GMA News Online on Wednesday, Senator Risa Hontiveros highlighted the inclusion of a provision for "evidence-based, gender-responsive, age-appropriate, and human rights-oriented prevention programs and measures" in Senate Bill No. 1390.

The preventive measures, which are being operationalized by the DOH in some of its  HIV/STI programs, include

• "accessibility of antiretroviral treatment
• management of opportunistic infections
• mobilization of communities of PLHIVs for public awareness campaigns and stigma reduction activities
• and establishment of comprehensive human rights and evidence-based policies, programs and approaches that aim to reduce transmission of HIV and its harmful consequences to members of key affected populations."

This also includes the distribution of prophylactics, such as condoms.

"What we provide in the new HIV Policy Act is a legal framework that makes these programs target key affected population. We removed the barriers to an effective national HIV response that can actually end this epidemic," Hontiveros was quoted as saying in the statement. — LA, GMA News