Female pop star on trial for spreading HIV
Examiner.com is reporting an interesting, sad story this morning:
A founding member of the German girl band No Angels confessed that she had unprotected sex with several individuals without telling to them she was HIV-positive and without giving her partners the option of using protection.
The beautiful Nadja Benaissa, 28, addressed the court during her trial in Darmstadt, Germany, claiming she was sorry for infecting her sexual partners….
Benaissa had been arrested and charged with attempted bodily harm for having sex intercourse with 2 men. She was also charged with grievous bodily harm of a 3rd whom she allegedly did infect, according to police officials.
Benaissa faces up to 10 years in prison if she’s convicted of all charges.
While admitting she indulged in unprotected sex during the opening of her trial, Benaissa told the court that she didn’t wish to infect her sex partners. Prosecutors, however, contend that Benaissa knew she was HIV-positive since 1999.
One of her lovers, who is scheduled to testify against her in the case, and who tested positive for the HIV-virus, has alleged that the singer infected him in 2004.
Critically acclaimed, the No Angels has won numerous music awards in the early 2000s, including a World Music Awards and 2 Comets. The group has a large following in the US, as well….
The other side avoids spotlighting stories like this, which draws attention to the tragic consequences of illicit, irresponsible sex.
Sure, Benaissa should have told her partners she was HIV+, but is it her fault they were equally irresponsible and didn’t wear condoms? (And I wonder if, for all the safety condoms are touted to bring, most men would have even have “protected” sex with an HIV+ partner.)
And had Benaissa turned up pregnant and decided not to abort, the father would have been monetarily responsible for their child’s upbringing.
Such weird double and triple standards when it comes to sexual “freedom.”
And what about “comprehensive sex ed”? The other side likes to blame abstinence ed for all sexual oopsies, when in actuality most people who sexually screw (pardon the pun) up, are fully aware.
There is no upside to illicit sex other than fleeting physical satisfaction (sometimes).
But there sure are a lot of downsides. I wonder what Benaissa would do with a do-over.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
So, so sad. While I do think that her partner should have worn a condom– you can’t just trust people, unfortunately– I’m not going to blame the victim. The person who knows the danger is the one who must sound the alarm.
I think it’s important to realize that Planned Parenthood actually believes that Nadja had the RIGHT to hide her HIV status from her partners.
http://blog.secularprolife.org/2010/08/healthy-happy-hot-and-on-trial.html
I think this is related to pro-life issues because of the double and triple standards, and because it illustrates how sex is not something that should be undertaken lightly or ignorantly. Failing to tell a sexual partner that you have HIV is a horrible thing to do and I think it should be criminal because it’s so negligent. Having unprotected sex is an incredibly foolish idea, and yes, the men Nadja had sex with don’t have an excuse for their own personal negligence of not insisting on using a condom.
However, I’m uncomfortable with this whole “no upside to illicit sex” thing. First of all, past posts have referred to gay sex or sex between unmarried people as “illicit sex”, and I think this situation is in a different category. Second, if Nadja Benaissa had gotten pregnant and had a baby from one of these sexual encounters, would you really want to say that the birth of a human being wasn’t an upside? Obviously the baby would have been conceived in circumstances that were far from ideal and could easily have HIV his/herself. But would you really want to tell someone that there was no upside to his/her mother having risky and negligent sex if that was how this person had been conceived? Not even a silver lining in an extremely dark cloud? If there’s no upside and just a lot of downsides, the creation of a human being is a downside. If the creation of a human being is a downside, you might as well tell people they don’t deserve to live.
I’m not saying Nadja should have done what she did. However, there are a lot of people conceived in what could be considered “illicit sex”, and seeing as the definition of “illicit sex” on this site seems to include any sex between people who aren’t a heterosexual married couple, I don’t think “there is no upside to illicit sex” is a true blanket statement under Jill’s definition of “illcit”.
I agree with Kelsey that it’s important to realize PP’s view on this. They’re encouraging something that’s not only immoral but also criminal.
Hi Maurauder,
You make a good point, one I have made in the past. Babies from illicit unions are nevertheless blessings, you’re right.
Thanks.
This is what happens when sex is no longer about physical and emotional bonding with your spouse…you no longer care about the other person you’re having sex with, its all about YOU and YOUR pleasure. Sex becomes a selfish act instead of a loving act.
I want to know how they know this particular young woman infected these men. If they are irresponsible enough to have casual sex and not use a condom then they’ve probably done it before. 1 in 4 people have some sort of STD, including HIV. How do they know it wasn’t some other girl who infected these men? Just wondering. All the players in this story are fools. All of them. Sex is a GIFT from God. He set up the rules accompanying its use for OUR PROTECTION. Look at all the physical harm and heartache that befalls those who use this gift inappropriately.
I think the best part of the post was the final conclusion: that illicit sex, at best, offers fleeting satisfaction.
“Benaissa told the court that she didn’t wish to infect her sex partners”
——————————————————————————
Kinda like the reasoning: “I had sex but didn’t wish to get pregnant..”
DUH.
I was eating but I didn’t mean to get any food in my stomach!
Life is life regardless of how it comes about. As for the lady willfully giving HIV to others …. sick!