
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, August 5, 1993                   TAG: 9308050460
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

BAND-AIDS AND MORAL INFECTION

WHEN YOU have a small cut, you put a Band-Aid on it. If you have a bad infection, you need antibiotics. Antibiotics destroy germs that cause infections. Simply placing a Band-Aid over the infected area won't stop the infection from spreading. This could lead to death. Our nation has developed a Band-Aid mentality. When there's a problem, we just bandage the wound.

Many think that the answer for teen pregnancies and AIDS is handing out contraceptives and condoms. If that fails, have an abortion. Covering the cut won't stop the problem. We must find the source of the problem and treat it.

We don't need a lab test to identify the bacteria in today's society. It's a lack of basic moral values. If we teach teens abstinence, then we can help them. This treatment gets to the source of the problem. Handing out contraceptives and condoms only perpetuates it.

The Band-Aids we're using aren't Curads. They aren't ouchless." A continued increase in unwanted pregnancies, and the spread of the deadly HIV virus, won't be painless. If we continue to treat our cuts with bandages, the infection will spread and eventually lead to the death of America.

JANIE CHAPMAN\ ROANOKE

by CNB