PrEP (This is IMPORTANT)

[LJay]

If the use PrEP can significantly lower the incidence of HIV, whether in combination with condoms or without, then it is well worth my tax dollars to support the effort. Their is a shift occurring in the way we approach preventive health measures. Insurance companies and governments are realizing that prevention and education can greatly reduce long term costs and improve overall health. For example, my insurance company now provides membership to a gym as part of my coverage. They figure the more I exercise the better and the availability of the gym can encourage that. It is the same reason we vaccinate. Yes, it is the responsibility of the individual, but with encouragement more individuals may become responsible.

For you guys who have mentioned that sex ed is not as thorough as it might be, it is important to realize just how much things have changed. When I was in grade school sex ed was NEVER approached. We got a little lecture in junior high school about not doing things we shouldn't, but no specifics and much nervousness on the part of both students and teachers. The words penis, vagina, and condom were never spoken in public. Syphilis, gonorrhea and other STD's were not discussed and no one that I knew in school would have dared to ask their parents about these things--not that the parents would have necessarily been well informed. Absolutely NONE of this would have been mentioned, let alone discussed, on television. We are headed in the right direction but we need to keep up the effort.

We certainly need to give our kids more information and we need to shed the puritanism that has prevented us doing so. The responsibility for education definitely lies with the individual but it ALSO lies with the people and institutions which shape and support that individual. It is why free and open libraries, educational programs and government and private health insurers should work toward us all knowing what we need to know.

[Thundanton]

unless their is going to be a strict guideline as to who gets free funding I think its a waste of money funding Prep when we know the majority of people that are going to be using it are ignorant sex maniacs that hate wearing condoms in the first place. Prep isn't 100% effective, and may even have problems that we don't yet know about. this is why health care practitioners always advise using other contraceptive methods along with Prep. I am a big supporter with the idea of increasing disease prevention methods other than finding ways of curing, but this is a lot of money that is going to be wasted here.

I think the drug Prep is only good for people who know they are taking a risk in their life BUT, for the sake of something or someone else other that it being purely to satisfy their desires in that moment. like for an example people in Serodiscordant relationships. at least then they are not taking the drug out of purely selfish means.

Yes the government should carry some of the responsibility of educating people about STI's and provide support in this area as much as possible. although I doubt any young kid under 20 will pay any attention to all they have been taught, because they are too busy trying to deal with the changes their own body and mind is going through. but face the facts here, in the gay world, not many parents know much about gay life never mind sexual like and how to take precautions. most don't even want to get involved with their child's gay life and that's another discussion altogether. yes they can blurt out the common statements like ' make sure you were condoms, and don't have sex with anyone you don't know.' but that's about it, and that is not enough.

I think it all boils down to the individual at the end of the day. if he has enough curiosity to go and look up and go on hockup sites then he should also have as equally enough curiosity to learn how to take precautions and protect her/himself. face it, the internet has all the facts you need about STI's, these days we have no excuse.