CONDOM FALLACY

CITIZENLINK - February 14, 2002
Secy. Of State Pushes Condoms to Youth
By Pete Winn

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell made comments Thursday in an MTV taping that religious conservatives strongly denounced. Powell urged the world's youth to "forget about conservative ideas" with respect to sex education, and use condoms to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases, the French wire service Agence France Presse reported today. The comments came in a taping of a "global forum" with young adults in seven cities around the world to be broadcast tonight on MTV.

Powell reportedly said the international community had to "forget about conservative ideas" regarding sex in order to combat the scourge of HIV/AIDS. "It's important that the whole international community come together, speak candidly about it, forget about taboos, forget about conservative ideas with respect to what you shouldn't tell young people about," Powell was quoted as saying. "It's the lives of young people who are put at risk by unsafe sex - and, therefore, protect yourself."

Powell's comments, which reportedly came in response to a question from a young Catholic woman from Milan, Italy, did not mention abstinence, which is the stated policy of the Bush administration, as well as Pope John Paul II.

Focus on the Family President Dr. James Dobson strongly chided Powell.  "Colin Powell is the secretary of state, not the secretary of health," Dobson said. "He is talking about a subject he doesn't understand. He clearly doesn't understand the science regarding condom efficacy." Dobson held out the nation of Uganda as an example of the effectiveness of abstinence in stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa. "Secretary Powell seems to be ignorant of the fact that Uganda has made great progress against AIDS by emphasizing abstinence, not condoms," Dobson said. "Uganda has cut the rate of HIV infection by as much as 50% among young people by delaying the onset of sexual activity by two years."

Dr. Bradley Beck, medical issues adviser for Focus on the Family, said Powell was ignorant of the facts. "It would have been nice if Colin Powell had read the condom efficacy report published last year by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and other government health agencies. The study showed no data proving condom efficacy for most sexually transmitted diseases. Powell's comments fly in the face of that report." The study released in July 2001, is titled, "Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention."

Dobson added: "Secretary Powell's comments directly contradict those of his boss, President Bush, who just proposed a $33 million increase in funding for abstinence-only education in the United States. As one who has distinguished himself in the armed services, surely Mr. Powell must understand the importance of self-control and discipline. These very characteristics are helping to win the war against terrorism. It is these same traits that can keep young people from HIV infection through abstinence. "Colin Powell is a career soldier," Dobson concluded. "He knows what it means to follow the Commander-in-Chief. We have to assume he wouldn't contradict his boss, without approval. If that is not the case, the president needs to publicly repudiate these statements immediately."