Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - 12 Sep 95
Although internal Red Cross documents did not suggest any political motivation, some Red Cross officials told the Times the move by the organization's board of governors was reflecting Mrs. Dole's desires at a time when her husband was trying to appeal to conservatives.
Her husband, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, has sought to emphasize his conservative credentials in his quest for the Republican presidential nomination.
"It is unconscionable," Shana Ross, the HIV-AIDS commissioner for the Red Cross' Houston chapter, was quoted in Wednesday's Times. "I have to take into account that this is because of who our president is, who her husband is and the fact that he's involved in a campaign now for the presidency, and he is seemingly losing ground to opponents who are more conservative than he is."
A spokesman for the Dole campaign, Nelson Warfield, said Mrs. Dole's work at the Red Cross was "strictly separate" from the campaign.
The organization's chairman, Norman Augustine, said the board intervened at Mrs. Dole's request because she has "some strongly held personal views." Red Cross spokesman Roy Clason, said Mrs. Dole was not available for comment.
Many Red Cross officials gave their approval in April to an expanded AIDS prevention program, but the board took the unusual step of reviewing the program and delaying its implementation for several months.
The board then instructed Red Cross officials to make significant changes to materials like leaflets, videos and instruction manuals that are sent to Red Cross chapters and health clinics around the country.
The board members objected to, among other things, a drawing of a penis in a paper on condoms and explicit language in a video. Board members also wanted the materials to place greater emphasis on individual responsibility in preventing AIDS.
Copyright 1995/The Associated Press. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, The Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.
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Copyright © 1995 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
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