Abstinence vs. Condom Use

Condom Use and Abstinence Among Unmarried Young People in Zimbabwe: Which Strategy, Whose Agenda?

Growing up without a religion AND being raised in the U.S., where premarital sex is a more open subject than in most countries, I had never really considered condom use and abstinence as conflicting ideas for preventing pregnancy and STDs, including HIV/AIDS. I assumed (and assumptions are always so dangerous...) people generally accepted abstinence as the best option to prevent abstinence and STDs, but when abstinence cannot be kept, use of condoms or any other protection was the next best option--I thought people gladly accepted and used condoms in that situation. I guess I was wrong. What this article revealed was a conflict between abstinence and condom use as a strategy for HIV/AIDS prevention, not only in the minds of the individuals but also society as a whole.



The most interesting and enlightening part of this article was the discussion on responses young Zimbabwean men and women gave during focus groups. What they had to say about condoms and abstinence contained clues about their religious views, their parents' opinions about premarital sex, and opinions of their peers. Realistically, they all seem to agree that abstinence does not always work because young people lack self control. Yet, condom use also did not seem to be a favorable choice, mostly due to the bad connotation of premarital sex. As another young adult, I can understand their turmoil. Whether it is due to religious views or cultural taboos, many societies often view premarital sex as a sin, a condemnable act. Someone mentioned during class that using a condom on top of having premarital sex may seem like committing a double sin to them, which I think was a valid point. Engaging in premarital sex is a big decision, but the opportunity may come as a surprise. When kids are placed in the situation, their thoughts may not necessarily reach to the next level of decision of whether or not to use a condom. From reading the focus group discussion, it sounded like the kids were putting off that particular decision because they did not want to deal with such a complex matter. Yes, culture is one of the factors and religion also plays an important role, but we need to remind ourselves that making personal decisions like this is hard for anyone, especially for adolescents. The refusal to use condoms have various factors and reasons, but we may not need to look so far to understand why-- at least part of why.