Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
|
|
The Wall Street Journal - June 21, 2004
Marilyn Chase, Staff Reporter
Regulations published in the Federal Register last week require review and approval of Web-site content of groups seeking grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC awarded $49 million in AIDS-prevention grants to more than 140 community-based organizations in May.
The Bush administration's revised CDC grant guidelines come in the wake of a conservative furor over provocative content in AIDS-prevention programs. Last month, San Francisco's Stop AIDS Project failed to win renewal of a $225,000 CDC grant -- 14% of its annual $1.6 million budget -- after its workshops were criticized as being racy.
Among other things, the new regulations state that programs mentioning condoms "shall contain medically accurate information regarding the effectiveness or lack of effectiveness" of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted diseases.
When used correctly, condoms greatly reduce risk of AIDS transmission. However, condoms don't offer 100% protection and may be less-effective blockers of the virus that causes genital warts, for example. The Bush administration favors a formula known as ABC: abstinence, being faithful and condoms, in that order. However, some public-health groups warn that undermining confidence in condoms could retard AIDS prevention.
Robert Janssen, head of HIV Prevention programs at CDC, said federally funded AIDS-prevention programs have long been subject to guidelines governing review and "appropriateness" of content. "Our materials cannot promote sex or injecting drug use," he said.
He said the new rules place "more emphasis on accountability of review panels," made up of state and local public-health officials and community members. A new rule requires that state or local health officials review programs to rule out anything the local community deems obscene.
In Philadelphia, activist Kate Krauss of the AIDS Policy Project said she is alarmed by what she called a trend toward turning public-health officials into censors.
Asked to comment on criticism that the administration has bowed to conservative political and religious pressure, Dr. Janssen said, "It's less about that, than concerns about lack of clarity in guidelines." He said the loss of the Stop AIDS Project grant was the result of the project's failure to "compete successfully" for a piece of the prevention pie. Only 25% of grant applicants were funded.
Talking about prevention in the gay vernacular got Stop AIDS in hot water. The group's provocative curriculum -- including classes titled "Flirt, Date, Score," and "Booty Call" -- infuriated Republican House members including Rep. Mark Souder of Indiana.
"For three years now, we have been asking for scientific data to show how flirting classes and other Stop AIDS Project of San Francisco workshops are effective HIV prevention programs," Rep. Souder said Friday.
Stop AIDS spokesman Jason Riggs argued that his group's classes are an effective way of reaching men at risk in language they understand.
To pick up slack from the lost funding, Stop AIDS launched what it calls the "Bushwhacked Challenge Grant," a $25,000 matching fund program.
Write to Marilyn Chase at marilyn.chase@wsj.com
040621
WJ040610
Copyright © 2004 - The Wall Street Journal. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the WSJ Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from the Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2004. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .