NPR reported today (no link, but this opinion piece confirms) that fully one third of the US aid to Africa to fight the AIDS epidemic must be used for abstinence-only programs. Obviously I don't agree with the ideology that's pushing this; it belies a sick moralistic attitude toward AIDS victims that really amounts to cultural blackmail. And while abstinence may in fact be the best way for an individual to avoid contracting HIV, that doesn't mean that pushing it will be as effective against the epidemic as other programs. It's so typical of this administration to walk all over cultural nuances and order up deeply flawed foreign policies for domestic political consumption. Just what does a five billion dollar abstinence program look like?
July 9, 2003
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