ABC program getting rave reviews in Africa

According to a Family Research Council (FRC) article today, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is getting rave reviews this week as President Bush tours through Africa. PEPFAR is also dubbed ABC (Abstinence, Be faithful, if you don’t do those, use a Condom) because of its emphasis on Abstinence first. The article states, “With approval ratings well into the 80th percentile in nations like Kenya and Ghana, the President’s popularity is a true testament to the contribution that America’s generosity has made to the health and safety of the African people.”

Meanwhile, Congress is considering stripping the Abstinence component from PEPFAR. “When the PEPFAR comes up for reauthorization on February 28, Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.)–Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee–will make every effort to strip the ABC model from the bill in favor of money for abortion providers and promoters.“

You can read the entire article and what effects this would have on U.S. policy regarding AIDS overseas, by clicking here.

President Bush fights to keep abstinence in ABC

President Bush is in Tanzania today imploring Congress to renew his AIDS initiative which includes an earmark that steers a portion of that money into abstinence education programs in foreign countries.

Abstinence education overseas

Have you ever thought about combining your passion for teaching abstinence education with your desire to serve in a foreign country?

Planned Parenthood: Federalizing an Ideology

As I’ve worked to stay up-to-date on what’s happening with Abstinence Education in North Carolina and beyond, I have found that I keep running into references to Planned Parenthood. As you know, Planned Parenthood is a very vocal opponent of Abstinence Education. I thought a more thorough look was in order. Click here, Planned Parenthood: Federalizing an Ideology, to read the entire analysis, or see below for a synopsis of my findings.

Changing cultural ideologies

Cindy Anderson had an insightful response to my recent post on Planned Parenthood and federal funding. On her blog, The Write Reason, she suggested a third alternative to the battle.

Hearts or feet?

Lisa Bistreich, a blogger and public relations person in the Research Triangle Park took issue with my post about Planned Parenthood.

Let’s talk—Federal funding used to oppose U.S. policy

Should organizations that receive sizable grants from the federal government be permitted to use those grants to undermine and oppose United States policy abroad?Would you consider this offense to be even more egregious if this opposition coincided with a drive for increased profits? To exacerbate matters, the worldwide expansion of Internet access and globalization amplify the influence of these organizations as they work counter to official U.S. policy.

The actions of Planned Parenthood are a good case in point. The organization’s 2005-2006 Annual Report shows it received $305-million in government contracts and grants. While accepting these funds, Planned Parenthood has actively opposed the ABC program in Africa that promotes abstinence first in fighting HIV/AIDS. This opposition flies directly in the face of official U.S. policy in this area.

Best and Worst—Take 4

Recommendations for web sites and blogs

BEST: Abstinence Africa is a spin-off from Abstinence Clearinghouse, a BEST pick from earlier in the week. The Resource Library link is a rich collection of research articles, letters from Africans, and stories from other sources. A recent post from October 3rd reports on a training seminar that True Love Waits International held in South Africa. The web site is blog-like in that it posts articles under various topics and has plenty of links to follow, but the most recent stories are not easy to find. The site would be more user-friendly if the recent posts were more prominent.

WORST: NARAL’s “Screw Abstinence Party” invitation. NARAL stands for National Abortion Rights Action League. You cannot link to the actual web site anymore, but WorldNetDaily preserved the essence in a story posted in July of 2005. The fundraiser in Seattle was promoted as an opportunity to communicate dissatisfaction with spending for abstinence education funding. The event was highly criticized by insiders and outsiders alike as “counterproductive” and “juvenile.” It also did very little to support the pro-abortion group’s contention that it strongly supports the teaching of abstinence as a component of its “Comprehensive Sexuality Education” message.

Community-Wide Efforts Most Effective

More Research on ABC Program in Uganda

A quote in my last posting affixed the credit for a broad reduction in Uganda HIV/AIDS cases in the 90’s to “a fair mix of factors built along partnership efforts, including families and the broader civil society movement.” There has long been speculation that abstinence, or any sex education message for that matter, is most effective if it originates from many different sources. In other words, people need to hear the message in school, on the playground, at the work site, along the highway, from their parents and peers….

Several African countries took–and are taking–this approach in fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS. Take a look at these photos from the Averting HIV and AIDS web site at www.avert.org.

HIV education took place in the classroom.

Here’s a sign promoting abstinence at a Uganda elementary school.

Here’s a poster, funded by the government of Zambia, encouraging abstinence.

And this is a photo of HIV educators visiting a farm in South Africa.

Words from Women with HIV/AIDS

More Research on the ABC Program in Uganda

It is quite uncommon to find a measured and unemotional assessment of any program designed to decrease teen pregnancy rates and HIV/AIDS. Those who view abstinence as the only acceptable cure, claim that the ABC approach (Abstinence, Be faithful, Condoms for high-risk groups), which appears to have had such staggering success in Uganda, is due mostly to the A and B. On the other hand, those who believe Condoms to be the key, discount the power of the Abstinence message as a Western concept that is ill-fitted for Africa.

However, this statement, issued by the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS, actually provides some balance to the debate. “This clearly illustrates that a fair mix of factors built a long partnership efforts, including families and the broader civil society movement were responsible for the success. When looking for the answer therefore one does not need to look for an either-or solution.” (Condoms vs. Abstinence As HIV/AIDS Prevention Strategies in Uganda)

It is clear that the answer for the raging AIDS epidemic in Africa and rampant STDs in American teens is not a simple one. It certainly warrants unemotional and truth-focused research.