Epidemiologist Elizabeth Pisani has worked on the front lines of HIV/AIDS research for more than a decade, talking to sex workers, drug users, health officials and bureaucrats alike in an effort to determine why 40 million people are living with HIV — and what can be done to curb the epidemic.
Pisani's new book, The Wisdom of Whores, looks at the bureaucracy surrounding AIDS research and treatment, and offers an alternative for the future.
"It would mean spending lots more of the available money on prostitutes, addicts and gay guys, and lots less on school kids, pregnant women and church groups," Pisani writes. "It would mean making fun things (sex, drugs) safe, instead of trying to make safe things (abstinence, monogamy) fun.
Interesting NPR interview from June- thanks, Christine, for sending it to me. Listen to it here.
The interview talks a lot about harm reduction without ever saying the phrase. While harm reduction is often spoken about in relation to drug use, it can apply to all of real life- it's about meeting people where they are, making their "bad" habits as safe as possible and offering alternatives for them if they so choose. Now this philosphy is not very popluar in our puritanical, repression and denial obsessed society, but it is the only humane way to treat others, in my opinion.
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2 comments:
The reason I don't use the phrase "harm reduction" is that it has become a red button: push it and closed minds implode. Describe what it actually means (as you do), and most people have to agree that it is a reasonable approach.
A lot more on these issues over at http://www.wisdomofwhores.com
Wow, I was really surprised to see who commented- your interview was great! I'll definitely check out your blog, thanks.
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