N.O. STD crisis: Local HBCUs deal with epidemic differently
12th October 2015 · 0 Comments
By Eliqua Brooks
Contributing Writer
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a global health issue.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that nearly 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur every year. It also points to New Orleans being one of the highest-ranked cities with STD cases.
According to the Louisiana Health Department, New Orleans is currently home to 7,897 people living with HIV and other STDs. Of those, specifically with STDs, young people account for 16.1 percent.
There are some local colleges, in an effort to tackle the rates of infection, are providing their students contraceptives. Not all institutions are on board with that practice however.
Traditional Catholic institutions, like Xavier University of Louisiana, are prohibited from providing contraceptives to their students because of religious doctrine. The Catholic doctrine of abstaining from sex outside of marriage provides little flexibility for even an institution of higher education like Xavier to address the issue of contraceptives as it pertains to reducing the spread of STDs.
“Catholic teaching doesn’t support sex outside of marriage,” said Sister Grace Mary Flickinger, a member of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and biology professor at Xavier.
According to Sr. Flickinger, if contraceptives are being passed out on the campus it would portray that the institution is condoning it.
“In this day and age, promiscuity, it’s common,” Flickinger said of the expectation that universities would provide the service. However, the university’s policy is to enforce Catholic teachings for students, the community, and society.
Students should not equate sexual intercourse outside of marriage with love, Flickinger said. Catholic teachings states that marriage is a sacrament, and sexual intercourse a demonstration of love within marriage, Flickinger added.
“Guys give love-talk to get sex, girls give sex to get love, so whose getting cheated?” Flickinger said of the dangers of such practices to the well-being of students. The university would not compromise its belief system to accommodate students’ actions, Flickinger added.
Official sat Dillard, the city’s other private historically black university, say the university provides education and access to contraceptives for students to have safe sex if they decide to.
“We don’t want our students walking around our campus pregnant or having any kind of STD,” said Lisa Battiste, a Dillard University Nurse Practitioner. Dillard advocates safe sex is by having campaigns around campus promoting safe sexual behavior. There also contraceptives available for students to pick up at the health center on campus. Dillard also hands out contraceptives throughout the year and at sport events.
These are debates happening not just at universities but at organizations across the country, experts say.
“Deontological ethics ties in with Catholic beliefs and teachings,” said Dr. Jason Bernsten, a Xavier University assistant professor in philosophy who teaches health ethics and problems.
It focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves, he explained. With Xavier University being a Catholic Institution, Bernsten said that “Catholic morals won’t allow passing out contraceptives because it is morally wrong to have sex before marriage, so the institution won’t contribute to something they don’t believe in.”
Universities who have policies that allow them to provide contraceptive services also believe they are doing a moral good, Bernsten explained.
“Consequentialism,” he said, states that the morality of an action is contingent on the action’s outcome or consequence. A morally right action is one that produces a good outcome or result. Bernsten emphasized that passing out contraceptives for students at other institutions is a considered a morally right action for other private universities, because they are trying to protect their students from the consequences of having unsafe sex and the spread of STDs.
Students at both campuses say they understand their university’s perspectives on the matter. “The fact that our university passes out contraceptives shows that the institution not only care(s) about our education, but the student’s well being, and that means a lot,” said Brittany Woodson, a pre-nursing student at Dillard University.
Amara Person-Hampton, a biology student at Xavier University, said she has mixed feelings about Xavier’s stance, particularly from a public health perspective.
“I understand the institution has morals and beliefs, however I don’t think Xavier is providing a safe environment for their students,” Person-Hampton said. “The institution is being unrealistic and blindsided due to the fact that it’s our generation that is increasing the statistics for the rate of getting STDs” she said.
This article originally published in the October 12, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
