However, as much as your article does to highlight the salient features of HIV-testing, your content does not have anything to do with horoscope matching. So, I guess they could rather be spoken separately.

(I posted the second part of the comment also, hope you can find it).

Two things:

(1)I don’t quite understand why it has to be pitched against Horoscope matching.

Well dear, it is my personal belief that Horoscope matching is a sham and actually a disgusting fashion. I even would like to support conservatives like Maharishi Dayanand and whole Arya Samaj faculty that keep trying to help the society get rid of such superstitions.
But, again I am a libertarian, so I do respect an Individual’s right to believe in any sort of superstition, they can surely match horoscope, I am not saying that government should state some other “Dictatorial Law” to prohibit Horoscope Matching.

Yet, in my personal view, horoscope matching is futile superstition while HIV test may prove to be handy and useful, and that is the theme of the article, an article in opposition to a certain kind of superstition and in support of a positive scientific test that may save people from spreading a disease.
That doesn’t mean that I want to argue with others about the authenticity of horoscopes, if they like matching it, they may, if they check for HIV test too alongwith horoscope matching, it will be worthy.

And well, you never mentioned the second point. May be you missed it.

(1)I don’t quite understand why it has to be pitched against Horoscope matching.

These two checks, if you will, are there (for people who believe in horoscopes) to indicate two totally different things. Horoscope matching is more about how compatible two people are; while HIV-testing is more about how long it could be before one of them, or both, die due to HIV. In some sense, it perhaps a quality vs a quantity argument, both are perhaps important; and (even if one doesn’t think so) one cannot replace the other.

(2) Second, while I do agree that one solution is for people to give up on their traditional morals, and social taboos and become more talkitive in these matters in order to keep in touch with the laws/globalization. But, perhaps that is not the only solution

Perhaps, legalsing (and perhaps encouraging .. lol) child-marriages could allow the middle-class conservative society, who might feel it a taboo to talk about sex outside the marriage, to both prevent HIV and keep up with their morals.

I know this might sound as a ridiculous idea …. (may be it is, or may be not) .. it is definitely not any more ridiculous than legalising prostitution for the benefit of the prostitutes .

Moreover, if it is acceptable under (followed, if not the written) law for two teenagers to have sex without
their parents permission …. why should it be a crime/taboo to have the parents consent to the affair and legitimise it as a marriage?

Thoughts/comments are welcome :-)

the second richest are by far those most at risk from HIV in India.
There are other interesting results presented in this report, on caste, religion and education.
DHS are internationally recognised comparable large-scale household surveys.

Claire

[…] culture and religion. Irrespective of the fact that India is facing a huge trouble in the face of HIV and other STDs, and it is the nation with extreme numbers of cases of child molestation, rapes and unwanted […]

[…] लिबर्टी ने टिप्पणी दी है कि यह कानून पहला सही कदम हो सकता है विशेष रूप से इस लिए भी चूंकि […]

[…] […]

[…] Reason for Liberty comments that this policy could be a valid first step, especially since HIV has now made its way into India's middle class. Pre-martial HIV testing […]

United Nations-Millennium Development Goals. This might interest you…

Malaria, together with HIV/AIDS and TB, is one of the major public health challenges undermining development in the poorest countries in the world. Many children who survive an episode of severe malaria may suffer from learning impairments or brain damage.
This will help all you people on this blog to do something along with the United Nations in your locality.
Check this
http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=47234928

indeed, it will be a wonderful first step. but, i guess we have to simplify our approach to sex and sex-related issues first. we have to change the way we look at these problems and then look for the solution.

ppl should indeed fo for an hiv test …….
the number of hiv+ patients are increasing and more and more number of ppl are falling prey to dis ….

Daring Topic but you have handled it Excellently by throwing various valid points..

Gr8..

Your post was quite sensible, but the first paragraph confused me. I’d like to understand that better.
Unfortunately, we live in a country where people want to keep everything taboo. In Kolkata there have been numerous protests AGAINST basic sex education. So I try to keep my hope (that people will understand) considerably low.
You never mentioned pre-marital sex equals to unfaithful relations. But some of your readers have assumed that. Pity….

@benji
It is not at all necessary to commit a mistake for getting HIV infection.
One may get that infection just because the dentist he visited was not sincere enough and used undistilled and infected tools.
One may get infected because of a barbers mistake, or may be because of a doctor’s, nurse, wardboy’s, hospitals mistakes!
To have a HIV test before making any sexual relation is quite genuine.
and I never talked of law, I talked of genuinity of HIV test and why it is necessary.
Any compulsory law is obviously not OK.
Yet, any rational step is genuine.

HIV testing has a lot of ethical, moral, medical and social issues attached to it. marriages are built on love and trust. A couple share their past anbd future and anyone who truly loves and cares and has made mistakes in the past will share. Testing should be mutual and not out of law

ha ha!
a parental advisory on the top would do!
just kidding.
Infact people need to be educated and that too BIGTIME..
Makes me wanna write on this too..
cheers
keep blogging!

It is essential to make the tests today, the pra not trust anyone else?!

you have expressed your thoughts sincerely

here is another take LINK on my blog and also on Desicritics

if you want to bring this there (on Desicritics) write to me

thanks

t

I am still a minor.

:P

Well one need not see whether we are from low risk or least risk group….HIV and Hepatitis B tests need to be done by all before marriage. Vaccination against Hep B is not a sure protection.

Rahul Chandra (Saraswat)

if monogamy had been staunchly followed we wouldn’t the nation with second highest AIDS patients and well said … if at all the test can bring some good it could be the awareness and a sense of security, nothing more.

having the test done, is definitely a sensible way to deal with growing aids patients..

sensible post on a sensible topic..

-keep posting..