Government
auditors reminded the Bush administration Thursday that
literature distributed by federally funded abstinence
programs must contain medically accurate information
about condoms' effectiveness in preventing sexually
transmitted diseases.
The Government
Accountability Office did not make any judgment about the
accuracy of the literature. But the government watchdog did
say the Department of Health and Human Services is
required by law to ensure that materials addressing
sexually transmitted diseases ''shall contain
medically accurate information on condom effectiveness.''
The Bush
administration has contended that materials prepared by the
programs, which received about $170 million in 2006, did not
fall within the scope of the statute.
''We have no
disagreement that abstinence education curricula should be
medically accurate,'' said Wade Horn, a top HHS official.
''In fact, we insist on it.'' Horn, assistant
secretary for the Administration for Children and
Families, said the Administration didn't need a law to tell
it that the information had to be correct. The GAO's opinion
will have no effect on the literature, he said.
The GAO opinion
was hailed by groups that allege abstinence education
programs routinely exaggerate condom failure rates.
''For the better
part of 25 years, abstinence-only-until-marriage
programs have been permitted to use taxpayer dollars to lie
about the effectiveness of condoms, and the current
administration has, time and again, failed to hold
these programs accountable for much of anything except
cashing their grant checks,'' said William Smith, vice
president for public policy at the Sexuality
Information and Education Council of the United
States. The council distributes sexual health literature to
educators, parents, and others. It also conducts workshops
and provides technical assistance.
The requirement
about providing medically accurate information on condom
effectiveness was part of an appropriations bill approved in
2000.
Horn said his
agency's reading of the statute was that it applied to
other activities, such as training material provided by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A CDC fact sheet
for public health personnel states: ''For persons whose
sexual behaviors place them at risk for STDs, correct and
consistent use of the male latex condom can reduce the
risk of STD transmission. However, no protective
method is 100% effective.''
The CDC manual
said condoms used correctly are ''highly effective'' in
preventing the virus that causes AIDS and ''can reduce the
risk'' of transmission of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and
trichomoniasis.
LeAnna Benn,
national director of Teen-Aid Inc. of Spokane, Wash., said
she does not believe the GAO's recommendation would change
what's taught by abstinence programs. ''I think there
would be very little change in what had to be said
based on medical referencing,'' Benn said.
At the same time,
she questions whether the government has the resources
to go through all the materials that grantees use to teach
about the effectiveness of condoms. ''My program is
400 pages long with 1,000 medical foot notes. Would
the government want to go through all my footnotes?''
she said. (AP)
