Tell the CDC to Grow Some Balls

The CDC has informed all HIV prevention organizations that they have to submit all documents, promotion, brochures and flyers in advance of receiving funding. Then politically appointed censors rather than health officials will now decide what’s acceptable in terms of HIV prevention and education. So basically only anything that is abstinence-only-marriage-first-fags-are-gross is going to get funding.

Abstinence education does not work. It has been proven time and time again. The only way to combat unwanted pregnancy, VD, HIV/AIDS is education. This makes me so mad I don’t know what to say. The CDC scientists should get some balls and tell the Bush admin to go fuck themselves. That or they should walk out the door.

This is so fundamentally retarded. Until people understand the facts and truth about how their bodies and sex and contraception and safer sex work there is going to be no change. As I always say it’s all in good fun until rich white Christian kids in the suburbs start dyin’.

Anyway – they have a comments form to receive feedback from the public by August 10th. Tell them what you think. Others already have.


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8 responses to “Tell the CDC to Grow Some Balls”

  1. JC Avatar

    I tried using the form and hopefully, it went through. As a former CDC employee, I would just liked to say that employees in these agencies are often at the mercy of the current administration because all the research that is conducted is based on funds that are distributed by whoever is in power. The CDC is chronically underfunded because money is often awarded for research instead of public health efforts. Part of the reason for not standing up is fear that things will get worse. In addition to sending comments ot the CDC, it is important to write to elected officials to ask them to quit putting so many restrictions on money that gets alloted for HIV/AIDS research.

  2. Andy Avatar
    Andy

    Thanks for the insight. It just stinks that the moral whims of (whichever) adminitration is in office are affecting scientific research and health legislation.

    But the big question is: did you get to see where they keep Ebola?

  3. JC Avatar

    It does stink. Health research and programs should not be subject to getting cut because of what is popular. I did see where they keep Ebola.

  4. j.scott barnard Avatar

    Bush recently said that he supports the Ugandan model which advocates abstinence, monogamy and condom use. The actual quote:

  5. Andy Avatar
    Andy

    What if I’m not married? What if I’m not allowed to get married? Again Bush does not verbalize the impact AIDS has had on the gay community – he deos mention the impact on black people. Plus, federal funding overseas is always tied to abstinence-only education.

    Bush Policies Hurt AIDS Prevention

    ACLU brief: Censoring health information will endanger young people.

  6. JC Avatar

    It is tied to the notion that if you are not like the majority, than you do not exist. Total bullshit and just plain wrong. The scope of concern and impact needs to expand to those beyond the white christian majority. On a slightly different note, I think this is why it more non-mainstream culture groups need to speak out and become politically active so that their presence cannot be ignored.

  7. Sam Kleinman Avatar

    While I think there are options that are way better than this “ugandian model” I think at the heart of it it’s not that bad. People who aren’t aware of their risks etc, should abstain. People should know the people who they are having high risk sex with, and people should know when to use condoms.

    I could live without the rehtoric, but it could be a lot worse.

    The truth is it’s a lot better than them saying “condoms aren’t effective,” which given intense scrutiny of the language used is vaguely correct, (because they cited some statistic, that didn’t account for user error.)

    But there is research that says that people, espically young people, know the risks associated with unprotected sex, know how to practice safe sex, believe in/support safe sex, and still don’t practice safe sex.

    While it was intended in a somewhat humerous tone the “it’s all fun and games until rich christian white people start dying,” there’s a lot of truth to that. My current theory as to why infection rates are high is that people aren’t dying. When (mosstly) gay men were dying right and left, in the late eighties, people were scared shitless, and condom useage in the gay comunity went up. When your friends are dying, people act right. That’s not happening any more, because people aren’t dying, and even when they are infected, they tend to live healthy and full lives. And death isn’t as grusome or abundant. That advancement of medical technology is wonderful, but it’s also alows people to become lax.

    Solutions? Well telling people to abstain and that condoms aren’t effective is certianly not an option, but telling them to use condoms (and how to) clearly isn’t working either. I’m not totally sure.

    Cheers,
    sam (k)

  8. sam (v) Avatar

    People know their actions are risky, Sam K, however that doesn’t stop them. That’s the whole point. Nothing stops horny teenagers (or adults) from having sex.

    People know heroin will kill them, too, but a city-sponsored needle exchange program is still the best idea. By the same token, I would say that teaching (not preaching) that abstinence is the best way to avoid contracting any STDs is best in conjunction with strong education on how to protect one’s self from infection, how to deal with infections and how to treat them, should students choose to engage in sexual activity.

    There’s no logical argument for abstinence that doesn’t revolve around religion, unless it is simply a personal choice. Monogamy and love won’t protect you from HIV or AIDS, and it’s a lie to teach children this. Married or not, intense sexual education is best.

    Besides, this isn’t just about the message that the Bush Admin is sending. It’s about censorship, ignorance, and religious monopoly on what can qualify as ‘education’, to say the least.