Outcry on Abstinence Ed, Abortion Policies Delays AIDS Relief Package
- Feb 12, 2008
More information about the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) may be found at PEPFAR.gov
Concerns on abstinence education funding cuts and abortion promotion within a $50 billion AIDS relief package resonated far and wide last week, carrying enough force to prompt delay on the measure in Congress.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has expressed strong opposition to the current draft of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) reauthorization bill, citing its cut in funding for abstinence and fidelity education programs and mandate that groups receiving funds integrate HIV/AIDS prevention programs with “reproductive services” and “family planning,” softer terms for abortion.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has rescheduled its markup for Feb. 14. If you share our concerns about the proposed changes to the president’s original plan for PEPFAR, please be sure that the House Committee on Foreign Affairs continues to hear from you.
Last week, we urged you to tell members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to oppose the PEPFAR reauthorization bill unless these and other pro-family concerns are fully addressed. Thanks in part to the calls and e-mails from many of you, the committee postponed its Feb. 7 scheduled markup, or review, of the bill for a week.
The State Department also registered its complaints about the proposed PEPFAR legislation in a letter sent last week to Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), author of the bill and chairman of the committee reviewing the bill.
Since its implementation in 2003, PEPFAR has been a proven success in combating HIV/AIDS in Africa, largely through its “abstinence” and “be faithful” programming—two components of the ABC Model (abstinence, be faithful, and condoms). The five-year reauthorization proposal, however, would remove the current requirement that at least one-third of all funding be directed toward these programs. In turn, the abortion industry would be aided as each recipient of PEPFAR dollars working in HIV/AIDS relief would be required to refer for family planning services, which may include abortion.
Another alarming provision is the removal of an existing requirement that grant recipients oppose prostitution and sex trafficking. These industries can easily spread HIV/AIDS and should be condemned for victimizing and enslaving individuals, primarily women and girls. Further, the draft legislation doubles funding for the Global Fund, which is believed to have funded groups promoting China’s one-child policy.
The United States should renew its HIV/AIDS relief efforts in Africa, but it should not do so at the expense of pro-family principles built into the original program that have contributed to its success.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has rescheduled its markup for Feb. 14. If you share our concerns about the proposed changes to the president’s original plan for PEPFAR, please be sure that the House Committee on Foreign Affairs continues to hear from you.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission works to monitor issues of public policy in America, such as the PEPFAR reauthorization bill. If you would like to help us continue our efforts, please click here.
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