Sushma bonds with Bush, and how

US President George Bush and former health minister Sushma Swaraj make strange bedfellows in their campaign against AIDS. Both swear by abstinence, and both feel, being faithful to one8217;s partner is the best way to check the spread of the disease. While Bush8217;s special envoy Randall Tobias was booed for his stand at the AIDS conference in Bangkok yesterday, Swaraj has been attacked for her 8216;8216;prudish8217;8217; remarks when she was health minister. 8216;8216;Using condoms is not the only answer to the disease,8217;8217; she had reportedly said.

Bush8217;s ABC campaign 8212; 8216;8216;A8217;8217; stands for abstinence, 8216;8216;B8217;8217; for being faithful to one8217;s partner and 8216;8216;C8217;8217; for Condoms 8212; was not allowed to be aired by activists at the AIDS conference. They said that Bush does not realise that abstinence is not a choice available to the vulnerable sections of society, namely young girls and women.

Swaraj, as minister, had advised public service broadcaster Doordarshan to drop the condom in its AIDS campaigns. She feared that condom-centric campaigns would encourage promiscuity. For her, abstinence was one of the best policies to combat the disease.While Swaraj is not around to implement her views, Bush is still chanting his ABC mantra.