No Dick, No Bush: New CDC policies will cripple HIV Prevention

Check out the new CDC guidelines for community HIV prevention programs on the Federal Register. If the legal jargon is too much for you, then check out Doug Ireland's article at LA Weekly.

Some snippets from the new policy include:

"This section states, in part, that ``education materials * * * that are specifically designed to address sexually transmitted diseases * * * shall contain medically accurate information regarding the effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of condoms in preventing the sexually transmitted disease the materials are designed to address.''" Condoms are extremely efficient at preventing many STDs. The controversy lately over condoms came from anti-gay and anti-abortion groups over HPV. I wrote about this idiotic policy here in April. Please check it out for context.

"All programs of education and information receiving funds under this title shall include information about the harmful effects of promiscuous sexual activity." This is an obvious move toward awarding HIV prevention funding to abstinence-only programs. I have brief comments on their effectiveness here.

"None of the funds appropriated to carry out this title may be used to provide education or information designed to promote or encourage, directly, homosexual or heterosexual sexual activity or intravenous substance abuse." We can all thank Jesse Helms for preventing everyone from talking about sex when discussing sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.

I have to be at work shortly, but this is serious stuff. More to come later.