India’s Health Minister Should Separate Personal Beliefs From Public Health Policies
New York Times: India’s Sex-Ed Controversy
“India’s health minister, Harsh Vardhan, is on the defensive after he questioned the focus on condom use in the fight against the spread of HIV. Late last month, Dr. Vardhan, who is a surgeon by profession, defended a call on his website to ban sex education. … Dr. Vardhan proposes an alternate sex education program that he says respects traditional Indian values; he also recommends yoga and celibacy. As for HIV and AIDS, Dr. Vardhan believes protecting the integrity of heterosexual marriage should come before promoting the use of condoms. While Dr. Vardhan has a right to his personal beliefs, imposing the morality of the Hindu right on India’s health policies will only put the public at risk…” (7/9).
The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.