Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 1:01am
New AIDS bill stresses behavior
The House of Representatives Wednesday considered revised legislation regarding global AIDS relief. H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008, lacks the provisions in a February version that would have funded abortion providers, LifeSiteNews.com reported Wednesday.
"On the prevention side, the legislation requires that the Global AIDS Coordinator provide balanced funding for sexual transmission prevention including abstinence, delay of sexual debut, monogamy, fidelity and partner reduction," explained Rep. Smith in his statement to the House about today's "PEPFAR Consensus."
"No generalized HIV epidemic has ever been rolled back by a prevention strategy primarily based on condoms. Instead, the few successes in turning around generalized HIV epidemics, such as Uganda, were achieved not through condoms but by getting people to change their sexual behavior," Smith said.
"Researchers increasingly agree that curbing behavior is key to slowing the spread of AIDS in Africa," noted Smith. "In a July report, southern African AIDS experts and officials listed 'reducing multiple and concurrent partnerships' as their first priority for preventing the spread of HIV in a region where nearly 15 million people are estimated to carry the virus - 38 percent of the world's total."
"On the prevention side, the legislation requires that the Global AIDS Coordinator provide balanced funding for sexual transmission prevention including abstinence, delay of sexual debut, monogamy, fidelity and partner reduction," explained Rep. Smith in his statement to the House about today's "PEPFAR Consensus."
"No generalized HIV epidemic has ever been rolled back by a prevention strategy primarily based on condoms. Instead, the few successes in turning around generalized HIV epidemics, such as Uganda, were achieved not through condoms but by getting people to change their sexual behavior," Smith said.
"Researchers increasingly agree that curbing behavior is key to slowing the spread of AIDS in Africa," noted Smith. "In a July report, southern African AIDS experts and officials listed 'reducing multiple and concurrent partnerships' as their first priority for preventing the spread of HIV in a region where nearly 15 million people are estimated to carry the virus - 38 percent of the world's total."