| Election 2008: Fred Thompson and the Politics of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights |
| Actor and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson has been actively fundraising and campaigning as he begins the process of entering the 2008 presidential race. Thompson is already branding himself as a conservative Republican and attempting to gain support with that base by making his views known on key topics such ... |
| South African President Fires Deputy Health Minister and AIDS Activist Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge |
| On August 8, 2007, South African President Thabo Mbeki fired Deputy Health Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge because she attended an AIDS conference in Spain without his permission. Activists, however, allege that Ms. Madlala-Routledge had lost support from President Mbeki before this incident because of her advocacy for stronger action to combat ... |
| Oklahoma Legislature Expands State Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding |
| The Oklahoma state legislature appropriated $500,000 in state funds to promote abstinence-only-until-marriage for teenagers. The appropriation, attached to Senate Bill 424, specifies that the State Department of Health will expand the Postponing Sexual Involvement (PSI) for Young Teens program by contracting with community-based organizations and local faith-based organizations.1 Senator Tom ... |
| House Proposes Important Fixes with Reauthorization of Title V Abstinence-Only Program |
| As part of the United States House of Representatives’ consideration of State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in early August, Representatives proposed reauthorizing a portion of Title V of the Social Security Act which currently provides states with $50 million in funding for extreme abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. The program is set ... |
| Study Finds that Abstinence-Only Programs Do Not Affect Rates of HIV Infection, Sexual Behavior |
| A new study published in the British Medical Journal early in August found that programs that encourage abstinence from sex as the only method of preventing HIV infection are not effective in achieving this goal. The study, titled “Sexual Abstinence Only Programmes to Prevent HIV Infection in Income Countries: Systematic ... |
| PEPFAR to Fund Male Circumcision Programs as Prevention Strategy in Some African Countries |
| The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has committed to funding programs promoting male circumcision as part of its overall strategy to prevent HIV infection. United States Health and Human Services Secretary, Mike Leavitt, announced this decision on August 17th in Johannesburg, South Africa while on a ten-day tour ... |
| The Politics of Sexuality 2008: The Candidates’ Views Uncovered |
| Topic in Focus: Sex-Education
This is the first article in SIECUS’ continuing series uncovering the presidential candidates’ views on topics related to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Comprehensive education about sexuality—sex education that includes information about abstinence, contraception, and condoms—has been proven effective in reducing sexual risk behaviors among young people. ... |
