If Public Policy Polling's early numbers are accurate (and there's little reason to doubt they are) Newt Gingrich will likely take the lead in national polling this week. In light of this, there's something that's developed over the last month that we need to tie around Newt's neck like an anchor. Specifically, one of his most prominent endorsers, the American Family Association, is now giving succor to the outright dangerous quackery of AIDS denialism.
Earlier this month, AFA policy chief Bryan Fischer's guest on Focal Point was prominent cell biologist and AIDS denier Peter Duesberg. For those who don't know, Duesberg believes HIV doesn't AIDS, and that HIV is an elaborate hoax cooked up by researchers who want to keep their grants--claims Fischer strongly endorsed. The full interview is still available on the AFA's YouTube channel (part 1, part 2) and was featured prominently on the front page of the AFA Website. Later that week, on the Rightly Concerned blog, Fischer argued that Magic Johnson is proof positive HIV doesn't cause AIDS.
We already knew that the AFA is a prominent supporter of pseudoscience--after all, it's one of the biggest proponents of creation "science." However, the AFA's foray into AIDS denial is several times more dangerous--for the simple reason that it's actually been proven to kill people.
Duesberg believes that HIV is actually harmless, and that AIDS-fighting drugs such as AZT can actually cause AIDS. In any sane world, that would get you laughed out of the room. But back in 2009, he managed to finagle his way onto an AIDS advisory panel to the South African government. On his advice, thousands of people were denied access to anti-viral drugs. At least two studies have proven that Pretoria's endorsement of this claptrap resulted in 330,000 preventable deaths and as thousands more preventable infections.
Saner people take a much dimmer view of Duesberg's claims. His claim that AIDS is caused by recreational drug use has been completely debunked. As early as 1993, Nature found that his argument that sexual promiscuity causes AIDS "has no basis in fact." In the face of international condemnation of his work in South Africa, Duesberg wrote a paper arguing that South Africa's increase in population proved HIV is harmless. One journal turned it down and told him that if he published it, he might be guilty of scientific misconduct. He then went to another journal, which retracted it after finding that its assertions could endanger public health.
Apparently somebody forgot to tell Fischer and Tim Wildmon about how dangerous this is, because Fischer doubled down on it in his blog post. He actually claimed that it isn't possible for a virus to stay dormant for several years before roaring back to life. Apparently Fischer doesn't know that the chicken pox virus can stay dormant for several years before returning as shingles. It can also go to your brain as viral encephalitis.
What makes the AFA's endorsement of this claptrap even more dangerous is that so many people who live in a Christian cocoon (filtered Internet service, homeschooling their kids, SkyAngel, no secular radio) actually rely upon it for news and information. Wildmon and Fischer better hope nobody dies from following their advice--it could, no, WILL, get them sued out of business. And that wouldn't be a bad thing.