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<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=82 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="05bfd523.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Cape Fear Regional Bureau For Community Action, Inc.</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cape Fear Regional Bureau For Community "><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id73.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Educational Articles"><U><B><IMG SRC="04e0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14"><B>    </B><A HREF="id76.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FDA Approaves 20Minute HIV Test"><U><B><IMG SRC="04d0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  </B><A HREF="id78.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HIV Rebounds For Some On Drug Cocktail"><U><B><IMG SRC="04f0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="next" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.capefearregionalbureauforcommunityactioninc.org/mf.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.capefearregionalbureauforcomm"><U><B>Click Here For Site Map</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="23fd2993.jpg"> <div> <B>Where have the condoms gone?</B></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=398 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>Group</B></I><I><B>s</B></I><I><B> Attack Bush "Abstinence" Strategy</B></I></div> <div> <B> <A NAME="condoms"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> <B>Condom 'facts' change; politics blamed</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> Gay.com / PlanetOut.com Network </div> <div> Thursday, December 19, 2002 / 04:51 PM </div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="helvetica" >SUMMARY:</FONT> <I>A group of Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday accused the Bush administration of putting politics ahead of safety by removing information from a fact sheet on condom use.</I> </div> <div> A group of Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday accused the Bush administration of putting politics ahead of health and safety by removing information from a fact sheet on condom use. </div> <div> The fact sheet, created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), no longer contains instructions on how to use a condom, and 14 members of Congress believe the deletion is part of the administration's preference for "abstinence-only" approaches to sex education and HIV prevention. </div> <div> In addition, the CDC fact sheet omits studies showing that condom awareness does not promote earlier sexual activity among young people. </div> <div> Both topics were part of the previous fact sheet, which was developed under the Clinton administration. </div> <div> Led by Rep. Henry A. Waxman of Los Angeles, the lawmakers aired their concerns in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. </div> <div> "The apparent purpose of these alterations and deletions is to remove information that conflicts with the administration's preference for 'abstinence-only' programs," the lawmakers wrote. </div> <div> David Fleming, the CDC's deputy director for science, denied a political bias in sheet's presentation of facts. </div> <div> "This fact sheet is designed to be as scientifically accurate as possible," he told the Associated Press. "We specifically tried not to nuance it in the direction either of encouraging or discouraging the use of condoms. The interpretation really is in the eyes of the beholder." </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Groups Attack Bush 'Abstinence' Strategy </B></div> <div>       Peter Marchese, Gay.com / PlanetOut.com Network </div> <div>       Tuesday, October 1, 2002 / 05:10 PM </div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="helvetica" >SUMMARY:</FONT> <I>AIDS groups say they are feeling heat from the Bush administration to remove safe-sex strategies from their agendas.</I></div> <div> Information about the effectiveness of condoms has been pulled from a government Web site -- because of the Bush administration's "abstinence only" policy. AIDS groups say this is just one of the ways they feel the heat from the administration to remove safe sex strategies from their agendas. </div> <div> The Health and Human Services Department has increased spending to $135 million for programs that discourage all sex before marriage. The move leaves less for programs that promote possible safe, sexual experiences using birth control or condoms. </div> <div> "We need to get the message out on how people can protect themselves," said Marty Algaze, communications director of the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) in New York. "It might not be a message the Bush administration wants to hear, but it's important to get this message out, because it saves lives." </div> <div> With the abstinence push, the Bush administration is also indirectly denouncing the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community's rights to a healthy, sexual life. </div> <div> "It's increased insensitivity to an entire population," said Ron Tierney of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. </div> <div> The abstinence strategy for HIV prevention essentially says any sex outside of marriage is not to be condoned. Not being able to legally marry, members of the GLBT community can't both adhere to the rule and engage in sexual activity -- regardless of how committed two same-sex partners might be. </div> <div> "The administration is promoting a policy that ignores gay people across the board and is a threat to all Americans who need to know how to avoid contracting HIV," said Winnie Stachleberg, political director of the Human Rights Campaign. "We urge Bush to change course, so that more young people do not become needlessly infected." </div> <div> Many advocacy groups are growing concerned about a possible "witch hunt" from the administration and from conservatives on Capitol Hill. Groups who promote condoms and family planning methods in their educational programs are scared the administration might take away federal funding, leaving many of them empty-handed to do their work. </div> <div> "The only thing that has slowed the spread of HIV in America is our policies that are based on sound science," said Stachelberg. "And now, it appears this scientific approach may be abandoned by policies guided by ideology and politics." </div> <div> While the Bush Administration says it's simply making sure that tax dollars are properly spent, AIDS education groups cite numerous audits into their financial and <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.planetout.com/news/article.html?2002/08/08/3" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.planetout.com/news/article.ht"><U><U>programming activities</U></U></A></FONT> over the last year that are above and beyond the typical budgetary review. </div> <div> Many gay-oriented groups, like San Francisco AIDS Foundation and GMHC, do not receive much, if any, federal funding. They choose to seek private donors so that their agendas aren't dictated by a given administration. </div> <div> "This is what happens when administrations change and there are different attitudes," said Tierney. "Under the Clinton administration we made some great strides, but when a different group comes along, the message can come across very differently -- in this case antigay." </div> </td> </tr></table></body>