Religious Groups Get Chunk of Aids Money

[Axegrinder]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AIDS_PREVENTION?SITE=MIDTF&SECTION=HOME
President Bush's $15 billion effort to fight AIDS has handed out nearly one-quarter of its grants to religious groups, and officials are aggressively pursuing new church partners that often emphasize disease prevention through abstinence and fidelity over condom use.

[Paintedbird]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AIDS_PREVENTION?SITE=MIDTF&SECTION=HOME
President Bush's $15 billion effort to fight AIDS has handed out nearly one-quarter of its grants to religious groups, and officials are aggressively pursuing new church partners that often emphasize disease prevention through abstinence and fidelity over condom use.

You're not suggesting that our President would put BS before human lives?

[Ibleedburgundy]

Conservative Christian allies of the president are pressing the U.S. foreign aid agency to give fewer dollars to groups that distribute condoms or work with prostitutes.



:banghead:

[BurgundyNGold]

I think this is why:


Groups that have deep local ties in the countries and focus on abstinence and fidelity - instead of just condoms - are faring well.


If I'm not mistaken, these funds are being granted overseas -- primarily in Africa -- through USAID. The ethics of church and state don't apply in these cases.

[akhhorus]

I think this is why:



If I'm not mistaken, these funds are being granted overseas -- primarily in Africa -- through USAID. The ethics of church and state don't apply in these cases.


Unless they are US Churches and as long they don't go to promote any specific religious dogma, there's nothing wrong with this. Now, the wisdom of Abstinence is open for debate, but its not illegal.

[RedskinsDave]

I think this is why:



If I'm not mistaken, these funds are being granted overseas -- primarily in Africa -- through USAID. The ethics of church and state don't apply in these cases.

They are from USAID and HHS, two well known bastions of conservatism, lol.

[CNYSkinFan]

I don't think anything illegal is being done either but it is down right crappy foreign policy not to mention disesae prevention policy. Abstinence is simply not a medical treatment for HIV. Teaching of abstinence has never been show to slow teen pregnancy or the spread of STDs but the conservative flock bow to this idol of what they believe Christianity is about and use their control on government to enforce this policy.

Condom programs is the only proven way to slow the spread of HIV. And even that is not enough. It has gotten ridiculous that every tenament of Bush's personal and political choices on religion are creeping into every arm of government.

[BurgundyNGold]

I don't think anything illegal is being done either but it is down right crappy foreign policy not to mention disesae prevention policy. Abstinence is simply not a medical treatment for HIV. Teaching of abstinence has never been show to slow teen pregnancy or the spread of STDs but the conservative flock bow to this idol of what they believe Christianity is about and use their control on government to enforce this policy.

Condom programs is the only proven way to slow the spread of HIV. And even that is not enough. It has gotten ridiculous that every tenament of Bush's personal and political choices on religion are creeping into every arm of government.
While I personally think that abstinence is a Pollyanna policy, prevention is very much an accepted practice for thwarting the spread of disease. Apparently, the numbers bear the abstinence method out, so I don't know how we can argue with them. Still, I can't help but think that on some level this is government sponsored missionary activity, only overseas instead of at home.

I think there has to be a multipronged approach with HIV/AIDS and not having unprotected sex or sharing needles has to be part of it. Especially in places like rural Africa where there are shockingly few NBC "The More You Know" spots with those compelling semi-celebrities enlightening us with their helpful little life tips.

[fent]

slightly off-topic, but catholic missionaries are supposedly helping fan the flames of the AIDS epidemic in Africa because they are teaching their converts to avoid contraception at all costs in order to be aligned with Catholic teachings. not really sure how accurate that is, it's information that my ex mentioned her priest had told her.

[CNYSkinFan]

slightly off-topic, but catholic missionaries are supposedly helping fan the flames of the AIDS epidemic in Africa because they are teaching their converts to avoid contraception at all costs in order to be aligned with Catholic teachings. not really sure how accurate that is, it's information that my ex mentioned her priest had told her.
I don't know if it is accureate, but I would not rule that out. This would be common practice for missionaries as well.

I would bet for every study showing Abstinence programs working there are about 10 showing that combined programs (contraception and abstinence together) work even better. I don't know of many reputable places that state abstinence only sex ed actually works. It is a construction of the religious right and counter to human nature.

[Ibleedburgundy]

While I personally think that abstinence is a Pollyanna policy, prevention is very much an accepted practice for thwarting the spread of disease. Apparently, the numbers bear the abstinence method out, so I don't know how we can argue with them.

HOUSTON - Abstinence-only sex education programs, a major plank in President George W. Bush’s education plan, have had no impact on teenagers’ behavior in his home state of Texas, according to a new study.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6894568/

Many American youngsters participating in federally funded abstinence-only programs have been taught over the past three years that abortion can lead to sterility and suicide, that half the gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus, and that touching a person's genitals "can result in pregnancy," a congressional staff analysis has found.

Those and other assertions are examples of the "false, misleading, or distorted information" in the programs' teaching materials, said the analysis, released yesterday, which reviewed the curricula of more than a dozen projects aimed at preventing teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26623-2004Dec1.html

The state's $5 million abstinence-only sex education program isn't working, according to an independent study commissioned by the Minnesota Department of Health. The study found that sexual activity among junior high kids at three schools where the program was taught doubled between 2001 and 2002 -- a pattern similar to that exhibited by kids statewide -- and that the number who said they would probably have sex during high school nearly doubled, as well. The state's five-year-old abstinence-only initiative has been taught to 45,000 Minnesota kids and is funded by state and federal dollars.



http://www.libchrist.com/sexed/abstinanceMn.html

Abstinence-only programs do not work better than conventional sex education programs. All they do is withhold information from students thus making them all the more ignorant.