Birth Control?
by Jessica Shorland

We often greet public displays of affection with feelings of disdain, disgust, or on the other side of the spectrum, even nostalgia. It is something most of the Western world fails to see as a crime because of the worth placed upon an issue like affection. In South Africa, however, 12 to 15 year olds can no longer kiss or "fondle" without committing a crime. This seems to be a ridiculous notion, that a national government puts such emphasis on an issue ostensibly so small. However, when dealing with a nation that is plagued by an AIDS epidemic along with serious national issues concerning rape and drugs, the situation becomes much more than a laughing matter.

The government is essentially unable to enforce the law since so many teenagers are now defiantly reacting. It is practically impossible to acknowledge, ticket, and punish the number of teenagers that kiss each other, not to mention the unfair aspect of family relations. Not only unenforceable, the law simply creates dissent within the teenage population. Many protests have, not surprisingly, already taken place, with inevitably more to ensue.

South Africa's HIV rates are no mystery to the rest of the world. It is among one of the leading nations in number of people infected with the disease. The government, on several occasions, has failed to recognize the serious problem that exists within the nation. This fact affects Africa as a whole as well as the global fight against HIV. The kissing law, however, is a government policy designed to prevent sexual promiscuity, thereby reducing the infection rate. This roundabout pattern of thought may be a government's attempt to restrict a problem while still refusing to formally acknowledge it; something that will only further proliferate the stigma of the epidemic throughout South Africa. South Africa also holds the potential to pioneer the fight against HIV because of its influence on surrounding nations. An anti-kissing law will not exactly set the precedent of an aggressive and serious policy in response to the issue at hand.

As history has demonstrated in democratic nations, constituencies usually greet poorly executed laws, which did not contain proper motivations, with contempt and ridicule. There is no difference in this situation. Teenagers have already begun protests and demonstrations against the law. They are taking action to regain what they believe exists as a personal freedom. The people have given their verdict regarding the kissing law, and they have deemed it unfair.

Whether the law is best for the country despite discontent among the people is not at question here. What must come into consideration is whether the law represents a detached government, unaware (or maybe just avoiding) the underlying issues. Time and money that could be spent elsewhere in domestic legislation is now being spent trying to prevent teenagers from kissing.

Only time will tell if the law will in fact decrease sexual activity among teenagers. However, until the government takes an official stance on the issue and begins implementing policies that tackle the AIDS issue without taking personal rights from people, the public will continue its discontent and the problem will persist. But blame cannot be placed on the people or the government. The burden of blame is not what should be discussed here but instead the idea of putting time, money, and energy towards a positive solution.

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