Miami Herald - April 4, 2003
Andred Robinson (arobinson@herald.com)

Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, demanded that the state Department of Health recall the brochure and remove it from an approved-materials list. The pamphlet, titled A Christian Response to AIDS, quotes Bible passages to urge compassion for those with HIV/AIDS.

"How would Jesus respond to a person with HIV or AIDS?" the brochure poses. "Jesus is our Hope," it promises.

STATE AND RELIGION

Although the words "Florida Department of Health" and the agency's logo are printed on the cover, Simon said the pamphlets contain images of Jesus Christ healing the sick, along with the Bible verses, instead of focusing on measures to stem the spread of HIV. Simon said that nearly 13,500 copies of the 16-page brochure were purchased by the Health Department in 2000 and 2001.

Health Department officials said the pamphlet, which has been around more than a decade, is on a list of AIDS education materials approved by the state for community organizations to use. In some cases the brochures may be bought by the state and directly distributed to the groups. In other cases, the groups may buy them on their own, but can use state grant money to do so.

Tom Liberti, director of the Bureau of HIV/AIDS, said the brochure was added to a state list of approved AIDS education materials in 2000 at the request of faith-based organizations, particularly black groups, which were involved in prevention programs.

He said a committee composed of Health Department officials and community members with expertise in HIV/AIDS reviews brochures that are up for approval.

"They're looked at it from an accuracy and medical standpoint, not whether it's out of bounds of state-church rules," Liberti said. Simon contended that the publication was one of the top six pamphlets related to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome that were bought by the state. Florida has been heavily affected by the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS, and ranks third in the total number of U.S. cases since 1981.

"While the state must respond to this public health crisis . . . [it] must base its message on the very best medical and scientific information, rather than advocate a particular Christian set of beliefs," Simon said.

APPEAL FOR ACTION

In a letter to Department of Health Secretary John Agwunobi to complain about the brochure, Simon wrote that the agency should ensure that no state funds are used on similar publications.

"The predominant message conveyed by the brochure is a sectarian religious one, representing a single religious perspective, which is inappropriate for endorsement by any agency of the state government," Simon wrote.

Liberti said he and his attorneys would review the letter and decide whether to keep the pamphlet. He did not say when the decision would come.

This report was supplemented with material from The Associated Press.

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