fight against AIDS is being undermined by the requirement that most US funding to address sexual transmission of the HIV virus go to abstinence ...

New Legislation Answers Institute Of Medicine's Concerns About President Bush's HIV Prevention Strategy | Main Category: HIV / AIDS News | Article Date: 01 Apr 2007 - 0:00 PDT

A new report released today by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), shows that the fight against AIDS is being undermined by the requirement that most US funding to address sexual transmission of the HIV virus go to abstinence-until-marriage programs. The report states that the requirement greatly limits the ability of countries to respond to local needs.

To fix this dangerous flaw in the US approach to global AIDS, a bill was introduced this week in Congress that would lift the funding restriction. The PATHWAY Act, introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Rep. Chris Shays (R- CT), would eliminate the abstinence-until-marriage funding requirement, fulfilling a primary recommendation of the IOM report. The bill would also require a comprehensive strategy for responding to the particular vulnerabilities to HIV of women and girls. This vulnerability was also highlighted in the IOM report, which stated that the US global AIDS program must increase its emphasis on interventions that address this population.

"This is a must-pass bill for the new Congress," said Dr. Paul Zeitz, Executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance. "We have to ensure that US AIDS policy is grounded in scientific evidence, and is doing what we know works. The Institute of Medicine's report showed that this funding requirement is undermining the success of the whole AIDS program. That's why this bill is so critically important."

The HIV virus is primarily spread through sexual activity. The US approach in this area is thus crucial to success in the fight against the pandemic. While most US funding to address AIDS is financing treatment, a significant portion is going towards sexual prevention programs. The funding requirement results in two-thirds of the budget for sexual prevention going towards abstinence-until-marriage programs, even though these programs have not been shown to be effective.

In addition, the funding requirement does not reflect the reality that women and girls are increasingly infected with HIV, and yet frequently do not have full control of their sexual choices. The IOM report demonstrates that, if the US government is to meet its HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment targets, women and girls must be given more support in AIDS programs and countries must have greater flexibility in designing programs to meet their needs. ...