Live Blogging from the Bush Crimes Commission

[samhsarah]

By Debra Sweet, www.worldcantwait.org

The 3rd day of testimony at the Commission of Inquiry into the Bush
Administration for Crimes Against Humanity has just opened in New York
City.

I missed yesterday when Janet Karpinsky and Craig Murray testified.
Finally, though, some mainstream news coverage in Newsday today. I'll try
to capture the import of the testimony for all of you who can't be here.
We are at the Law School of Columbia University. Check out the agenda at
www.bushcommission.org

The Jury is beginning to hear testimony about the Bush Administration's
suppression of science. A representative of SEICUS who lives in
Washington DC has started by saying that the percentage of HIV positive
and AIDS cases is at the levels of Mozambique in sub-Saharan Africa; the
highest in the U.S. Yet huge amounts of money has just been spent there
for "abstinence only" education. There are ZERO federal dollars available
for comprehensive sex education. She is excoriating these programs for
their "faith-based" messages. Her work is to review the curricula of
these programs, which rely "almost exclusively on fear and shame as a
motivator". Making claims such as "boys are like microwaves and girls are
like slow-cookers". The programs exclude youth who are already sexually
active, already pregnant or parenting, survivors of sexual abuse or
assaults, or LGBT. They have never proven effective at working to prevent
HIV Aids, or pregnancy. Virginity programs have actually been proven to
be harmful, since kids who have been taught abstinence only don't know how
to use birth control, and are less likely to seek medical treatment. Kids
taught to "preserve virginity" are more likely to engage in anal and oral
sex than other kids. Overall STD rate are higher than in other settings.

This is the domestic research. Even though these programs are failed, the
programs are being exported to other countries; proliferation of gender
stereotypes. World Relief gets money for their "AIDS Ministries" to teach
"God's design for faithfulness in marriage" including in Haiti. "God
wants his children to remain pure" said a girl who was recruited to sign a
virginity pledge in Haiti, via Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to 15
focus countries primarily in Africa. Global AIDS bill limits prevention
to a maximum of 20% of all the funding. 66% percent must go to
abstinence-only programming! They're allowed to exclude info about
condoms. Remaining un-earmarked funds are not designated for prevention.
They are discouraging condom use.

more at: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/6995