Papua New Guinea
bishop slams condom ads

Paul Marx, a Catholic bishop in Papua New Guinea, is speaking out against HIV prevention ads that encourage condom use, the Australian Associated Press reports. The new prevention campaign, called "No Condom, No Sex," includes TV, newspaper, and radio ads and features Australian rugby star Mal Meninga. Although the ads talk about abstinence, monogamy, and condom use, Marx says they promote promiscuity.

""It has nothing else to propose than condom, condom, and more condom," Marx told the Australian news agency. "It is sending out the wrong message that promiscuity is the normal, ordinary way of life. By distributing condoms all over the place, it will facilitate even further that promiscuity, which is the main breeding ground of HIV/AIDS."

But Papua New Guinea's National AIDS Council says it is important to educate the country's residents about ways to protect themselves against HIV if they are sexually active. ""It is better to inform them now about protecting people from catching the AIDS virus rather than regretting for the rest of our lives that basic information about prevention options was not given," NAC said in a statement.