New York Times Editorial - AIDS and ideology
New York Times Editorial - AIDS and ideology
Copyright by The New York Times
SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2006
President George W. Bush deserves much credit for sharply increasing U.S. financing for AIDS prevention programs overseas. But along with Congress, he must also shoulder the blame for letting ideology rather than sound public health policy drive how the money is spent.
The elevation of ideology over both science and local needs is deadly in this case. A report by the Government Accountability Office finds that efforts to stem the AIDS pandemic are being undermined by the insistence of Republican congressional leaders and the administration that an unduly large portion of the funds be used to emphasize sexual abstinence and fidelity. The GAO's assessment should weigh heavily on the president's conscience, and inspire a change of policy.
Apart from ignoring human nature, the stress on abstinence largely ignores the situation in countries like India or Russia, which have exploding HIV and AIDS problems stemming largely from the intravenous use of illegal drugs and prostitution. The administration has added rules that effectively raise the spending for abstinence-only programs in some countries to well over 33 percent. The result is that some countries have had to cut spending on effective prevention strategies, including programs to prevent the transmission of HIV from infected mothers to their newborn infants. That is indefensible.
While promoting abstinence and faithfulness is important, de-emphasizing effective programs that involve condoms, as the administration has been doing, is a dangerous strategy.
Copyright by The New York Times
SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2006
President George W. Bush deserves much credit for sharply increasing U.S. financing for AIDS prevention programs overseas. But along with Congress, he must also shoulder the blame for letting ideology rather than sound public health policy drive how the money is spent.
The elevation of ideology over both science and local needs is deadly in this case. A report by the Government Accountability Office finds that efforts to stem the AIDS pandemic are being undermined by the insistence of Republican congressional leaders and the administration that an unduly large portion of the funds be used to emphasize sexual abstinence and fidelity. The GAO's assessment should weigh heavily on the president's conscience, and inspire a change of policy.
Apart from ignoring human nature, the stress on abstinence largely ignores the situation in countries like India or Russia, which have exploding HIV and AIDS problems stemming largely from the intravenous use of illegal drugs and prostitution. The administration has added rules that effectively raise the spending for abstinence-only programs in some countries to well over 33 percent. The result is that some countries have had to cut spending on effective prevention strategies, including programs to prevent the transmission of HIV from infected mothers to their newborn infants. That is indefensible.
While promoting abstinence and faithfulness is important, de-emphasizing effective programs that involve condoms, as the administration has been doing, is a dangerous strategy.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 7:50 AM
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