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(Washington) Government auditors reminded
the Bush administration Thursday that literature distributed by federally funded
abstinence programs must contain medically accurate information about condoms'
effectiveness in preventing sexually transmitted diseases.
The Government Accountability
Office did not make any judgment about the accuracy of the
literature. But the government watchdog did say the Department
of Health and Human Services is required by law to ensure that
materials addressing sexually transmitted diseases "shall
contain medically accurate information on condom
effectiveness."
The Bush administration has
contended that materials prepared by the programs, which
received about $170 million in 2006, did not fall within the
scope of the statute.
"We have no disagreement
that abstinence education curricula should be medically
accurate," said Wade Horn, a top HHS official. "In
fact, we insist on it."
Horn, assistant secretary for
the Administration for Children and Families, said the
administration didn't need a law to tell it that the
information had to be correct. The GAO's opinion will have no
effect on the literature, he said.
The GAO opinion was hailed by
groups that allege abstinence education programs routinely
exaggerate condom failure rates.
"For the better part of 25
years, abstinence-only-until-marriage programs have been
permitted to use taxpayer dollars to lie about the
effectiveness of condoms and the current administration has,
time and again, failed to hold these programs accountable for
much of anything except cashing their grant checks," said
William Smith, vice president for public policy at the
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United
States.
The council distributes sexual
health literature to educators, parents and others. It also
conducts workshops and provides technical assistance.
The requirement about providing
medically accurate information on condom effectiveness was
part of an appropriations bill approved in 2000.
Horn said his agency's reading
of the statute was that it applied to other activities, such
as training material provided by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
A CDC fact sheet for public
health personnel states: "For persons whose sexual
behaviors place them at risk for STDs, correct and consistent
use of the male latex condom can reduce the risk of STD
transmission. However, no protective method is 100 percent
effective."
The CDC manual said condoms
used correctly are "highly effective" in preventing
the virus that causes AIDS and "can reduce the risk"
of transmission of gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis.
©365Gay.com 2006
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