Three female HIV carries vow to remain childless<\/p>\n
UJUNGPANDANG, S. Sulawesi (JP): Three former prostitutes who
\nare infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) say they
\nwill go ahead with their marriage plans but forego having
\nchildren.<\/p>\n
\"We know the risks we are facing by getting married, and so
\nwe've decided not to have children,\" Wiwiek, who hails from the
\nWest Java town of Cimahi, told dozens of reporters covering her
\nfriend Nuraeni's marriage to Syamsuddin on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Wiwiek, 35, Nuraeni, 24, and their friend, Asni, 25,
\noriginally planned to marry on the same day at the Mattirodeceng
\nrehabilitation center for prostitutes. However, Asni and Wiwiek
\nwere disappointed because the local Islamic court registrar
\nrefused to marry them, citing absence of parental or guardian
\nconsent.<\/p>\n
M. Thaha Ali from the registrar's office said he would appoint
\nguardians to enable the women to marry soon.<\/p>\n
Syamsuddin, 28, is a civil servant. Asni is engaged to Sidda,
\na cassava farmer, and Wiwiek is set to marry Kunding, who is also
\nHIV positive. HIV eventually leads to Acquired Immune Deficiency
\nSyndrome (AIDS), the fatal condition in which the body's
\ndepressed immune system is unable to fight off infections.<\/p>\n
\"I hope marriage will help me settle down,\" Wiwiek said.<\/p>\n
Colleng, Nuraeni's father, said he expected marriage would
\nhelp his daughter \"live right\".<\/p>\n
\"She's been married three times before, and a prostitute for
\nseveral years. All our advice fell on deaf ears, and she chose to
\nrun away when we tried to bring her home,\" Colleng said.<\/p>\n
\"I'm hoping that this marriage will help her settle down, and
\nthat her husband can guide her.\"<\/p>\n
Controversy over the marriages has yet to die down. K.H.
\nSanusi Baco, the chairman of the local office of the Indonesian
\nCouncil of Ulemas, said the marriages were makruh, an Islamic
\nterm for a deed that is not sinful but not commendable, either.<\/p>\n
\"Their marriages will cause disaster, especially for their
\noffspring, so that it'd be better if they did not marry at all,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
He conceded Islam views marriage as a sunnah (a commendable
\ndeed), and that it was obligatory for a person who fears that he
\nor she might be tempted into fornication.<\/p>\n
\"However, we need to also see whether the marriage will bring
\nmore harm than good,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Jalaluddin Rahmat, a lecturer at the Alauddin State Institute
\nfor Islamic Studies, disagreed. \"As long as the religious
\nrequirements are met, the marriage is valid. Preventing them from
\nmarrying is tantamount to a human rights violation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Figure<\/p>\n
Separately, in the Central Java capital of Semarang, Minister
\nof Health Sujudi warned the number of Indonesians with AIDS may
\nrise to one million unless concerted steps are taken.<\/p>\n
\"This calls for serious actions,\" he was quoted by Antara as
\nsaying before a meeting of ulemas Saturday.<\/p>\n
He said the number of people with HIV\/AIDS was estimated at 30
\nto 40 million by 2000, with 80 percent of them living in Asia.<\/p>\n
He said India had one million confirmed cases compared to the
\n560 people with AIDS or HIV in Indonesia. \"That's the reported
\ncases. We don't know the exact number,\" Sujudi said. (30\/31\/swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/three-female-hiv-carries-vow-to-remain-childless-1447893297",
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