Mr. Andrew Allen in his July 9th column “Perspectives” made the point that “Sexual Liberalism Stops Aids”. As an example he cited Denmark where, he reports, the Government sends children condoms on their 14th birthday. According to Mr. Allen, Denmark has “one of the lowest marriage rates in the world, with many people having abandoned the notion of the ‘traditional’ family’” and prostitution, homosexuality, transvestitism and other “unusual sexual dispositions” are decriminalized and/or accepted. And…Denmark has one of the lowest HIV infection rates in the world. This is contrasted with a traditional cultural like the Bahamas. According to Mr. Allen, parents in the Bahamas don’t talk about sex with their offspring…“probably accounting for the overly ‘reproductive’ view of human sexuality”…and the Government emphasizes the use of medicines to curb the epidemic. He concludes that it would be far “cheaper and more efficient” for the country to adopt the Danish solution…become sexually liberal. Mr. Allen stresses the practicality of his solution. Well…let’s look at the practical. � One practicality is that modern market-orientated economies work best where there is a high level of what Frances Fukuyama calls “trust”. Trust exists where a people accept and exercise common ethical values in their dealings with each other and with other people. In such societies litigation and corruption are minimized as a way of getting things done…thus reducing the cost of transactions for goods and services. � Another practicality is that children…males in particular…are more likely to become responsible productive members in a society where their parents have a long-term commitment to them. Such parents invest their material and emotional resources in child development thus building human capital. This is a strong case for the efficacy of the “traditional family.” In any event the rule of law and investment in human capital are essential to – � The continued prosperity of the Bahamas in a world economy and � The minimization of the social alienation that accompanies growth and economic change. . In any event the subject of morality, culture, family and Aids is a huge and pressing problem for the Bahamas and the Caribbean. It needs serious discussion and action. However, a proposal to mail condoms to children on their fourteenth birthday is thoughtless. It does not consider the unintended consequences for a society that already suffers from the social and economic consequences of “tiefing” and “sweet hearting.” Mr. Allen’s discussion of sexual liberalism and AIDS is more appropriate as an opening comment in an informal rap session on social policy than as an argument in a serious newspaper column like “Perspectives”.