Unsettling Aspects of Meeting on AIDS

* I appreciate the efforts of Thousand Oaks High School’s Associated Student Body in its nighttime installment of the AIDS Awareness Week Program. It was better than others of its kind that I’ve seen. There was no cavalier attitude justifying the sexual liberation of teens and no false claim that condoms are the solution.

There were, though, some other disquieting aspects of the meeting. The most serious was that many teens expressed disdain for parental authority over education such as this, i.e. education with sexual content. Unfortunately the adult advisors (if there were any), presenters and Conejo Valley education officials present did not explain or defend the guardianship prerogatives of American parents. A parent, Debra Lorier, who attempted to do so, was argued down by several precocious adolescents.

Guardianship of minors rests with their parents. It is a God-given right and responsibility according to the charter documents of this nation. Laws that permit government employees to circumvent parents in providing sexual information, medical services (testing or treatment), or mental health services need to be challenged. All our public servants, particularly our elected representatives, need to understand about inalienable rights. And our children in particular, for the sake of liberty in their generation, need to understand about inalienable rights.

In addition, I found the theme, “everyone is at risk,” less effective than it could have been. The teens should have been assured that they were not at risk if they abstain from sex and drugs. This is a disease brought on by behavior 99% of the time. It is preventable.

Finally, it was stated more than once that AIDS is not a moral issue but a medical one. This is disingenuous. AIDS is clearly both. It certainly is a moral imperative that we physically, emotionally and spiritually take care and provide for the sick and dying no matter how they contracted the disease. Furthermore, I think all would agree it is immoral to knowingly infect others.

And though not each individual AIDS infection is brought about by that person’s own immoral choice, certainly it frequently is by someone else’s immoral choice. Sex and drugs, as has been acknowledged throughout history, are replete with moral implications. Moral law is broken by infidelity, drug use, promiscuity, the dishonesty and endangerment of nondisclosure, and according to the conviction of many, by homosexuality and sex outside of marriage.

We must all consider the moral facts as well as the medical facts if this pandemic is going to be constrained.

I am not speaking for the Ventura County Board of Education.

WENDY LARNER

Member, Ventura County Board of Education

Ojai