Cmm1501 Essay

1890 Words8 Pages
CMM1501 Unique number: 318920 for 6 September 2013 Semester II Assignment 2 Student number 48703745 Mrs B Knoop Oudtshoorn 6620 Topic Using the method of moral decision making as outlined in the study guide and the prescribed book, explain how Christians ought to respond to the ethical problems posed by HIV/AIDS, women and poverty ANALYSIS – What is HIV/AIDS; how does it affect poverty-stricken women and why is it an ethical problem HIV is a disease that attacks the white blood cells in the body. It stands for Human Immuno-deficiency Virus. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and refers to any disease that kills the infected person. Common diseases are Tuberculosis, Hepatitus and Pneumonia . These diseases are worse in the poverty-stricken areas such as sub-Saharan Africa, where more women than men have the disease. This is an ethical problem because many children are subjected to poverty, or they are orphaned by the disease. It is also a political and socio-economical problem and thus it becomes an ethical situation. Many pregnant women risk passing the virus onto their babies through breastfeeding. They are supplied with infant formula by the government. But many rural areas have little clean water1 with which to mix the milk powder, and when the formula runs out, the mother has to come back to the clinic to fetch more. Distances are far and more often than not, they revert to breastfeeding which passes the virus onto the baby. Women who live in rural areas are hard hit by poverty. Their husbands often work far away in the cities (especially on the mines). Some of the men have a second family there and that takes up most of their money. The first wife and family are left with less than their fair share. Some of them try to sell fruit and vegetables but experience problems with transport and distance.
Open Document