ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH

Advocates for Youth Urges Congress to Pass Consensus Global AIDS Bill

Amendments that Sacrifice Public Health Goals for Narrow Political Agenda Must be Defeated

Washington, DC—Advocates for Youth's President, James Wagoner, today called on Congress to pass the $15 billion global AIDS bill, sponsored by Representative Henry Hyde (R-IL), without amendments that would devalue the role of condoms and misguidedly promote abstinence-only education with these vital foreign aid funds.

"The power of this bill is that it reflects a global consensus that abstinence, faithfulness within relationships, and condom use all play a role in the fight against HIV/AIDS," said Wagoner.

"Recent NIH reports indicate that condoms are 'highly effective' at preventing HIV transmission. This is not a fact that we should keep silent about," Wagoner added. "Concurrently, thirty years of good public health research demonstrates that the best way to promote abstinence is to provide young people with good sex education—education that includes information about delaying sex and information about condoms."

The bill enjoys broad bipartisan support, and has been hailed by AIDS groups worldwide. Still, Representative Josephs Pitts (R-PA) is expected to propose amendments that would prioritize funding to programs that promote only abstinence and censor medically accurate information about condoms. Similar proposals were rejected by the House International Relations Committee.

"A small group of conservative legislators and lobbyists has already caused needless delay on the global AIDS bill," Wagoner continued. "We urge members of the House to defeat any attempt to export the narrow agenda of ideologues who deny that condoms save lives."

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics are all on record supporting condom use as a key HIV prevention tool. It's time Congress came on board," concluded Wagoner.

Advocates for Youth is a Washington, DC-based non-profit organization working in the field of sex education, teen pregnancy prevention, and HIV/AIDS education. Advocates for Youth has developed adolescent sexual health programs in the United States and in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Note to Editors and Producers: For more information, or to set up an interview with international adolescent sexual health experts, please contact Bill Barker at (202) 419-3420.

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