Private Choices and Public Health
Author: Tomas J. Philipson
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 1993
Total Pages: 290
ISBN-13: 9780674707382
DOWNLOAD EBOOKAn economics professor and a federal judge point out that engaging in unprotected sex is a dangerous but pleasurable activity, like downhill skiing and mountain climbing, and that people weigh the risks and benefits when deciding whether or not to do it. The people setting up public health measures to combat the spread of AIDS, they say, are not taking this informed and often rational decision-making into account. Therefore, their predictions are off and their information campaigns are not only in effective, but may well be encouraging the disease's spread. They also look at the cost and benefits of research and education for the society as a whole. The book is bound to be controversial. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR