The 'christian' Right wages war against Global AIDS Relief Fund

[ck4829]

When he first announced PEPFAR, President Bush pledged to allocate $1 billion dollars to the Global Fund over the next five years, and recent PEPFAR promotional materials proudly announce that the US Congress has seen fit to increase that funding to an aggregate closer to $2 billion dollars. Earlier this year politicians from both parties in Congress sponsored an amendment to the Global AIDS Bill that would boost next year’s US donation to $866 million.

But fundamentalist religious right wing groups led by James Dobson’s Focus on the Family, and a man named Shepherd Smith, President of the Institute for Youth Development, have lobbied strenuously to deny any increase in funding allocated to the Global Fund.

After the Senate proposed increasing the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund to $866 million in 2007, Dobson went on the attack, claiming that the Fund promotes "legalised prostitution and all kinds of wickedness around the world."

Then, in a letter sent to Congress on May 23, 2006, Dobson and Smith claimed that any increase in funding would only go to support “needle exchange programs, legalisation of prostitution, and, unbelievably, support for George Soros’ organisations.”

Shepherd Smith was at the PEPFAR implementers meeting, dogging representatives of the Global Fund about how it does not support faith-based organisations (which is untrue), and crowing that he was “on a crusade,” he “had helped elect Bush” and he was “going to bring the Global Fund down”.

http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/DBB3AF1A-ABAB-4D13-991F-99EC029491C5.asp

[China_cat]

1. Same people who'd rather see their daughters die

of cervical cancer than be immunized against it.

[Ringo84]

2. If I didn't read it, I wouldn't believe it

There is no end to these people's stupidity or callousness, is there?

Unbelievable.
Ringo

[madrchsod]

3. jim and shep say-"fuck you jesus, get out of our way

cause your ideas are cutting into our fund raising"....

[Arkansas Granny]

4. It is just unbelieveable that a group of people who claim to be

doing God's work would be willing to essentially condemn large numbers of people to death just to see their particular religious beliefs enforced. They will only support programs that emphasize abstinence and fidelity, but not condom usage. They truly value virginity more than life itself.