Contemporary Sexuality - June 2008 - (Page 7)

Quick Hits: Sex in the News California court OKs gay marriage, fight continues Although the California Supreme Court recently ruled that same-sex marriage is legal in the nation’s largest state, opponents haven’t conceded defeat. Conservatives who believe marriage should be reserved for unions between men and women have rallied behind “Limit on Marriage,” a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. “While the Supreme Court can overturn statutes [and initiatives], they can’t overturn constitutional amendments,” said Joesph Infranco, a lawyer who opposes same-sex marriage. The organizing force behind the proposed constitutional amendment is a group called Protect Marriage, which has received endorsements from Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America and the Traditional Values Coalition. In addition, Protect Marriage received $1.6 million to gather signatures to put the proposed amendment on the ballot. The group turned in 1.1 million signatures, about 400,000 more than required by law. Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger opposes the “Limit on Marriage” constitutional amendment. Meanwhile, voters in Arizona and Florida may also be voting on constitutional bans in November. (San Francisco Chronicle, April 25 and Stateline.org, May 16) The U.S. Senate appears poised to pass a bill that would match the $50 billion specified in the House. (Reuters, April 2) Congress examines effectiveness of abstinence-only programs A major critic of abstinence-only sexuality education programs — Rep. Henry Waxman (DCalif.) — recently held Congressional hearings on the effectiveness of such efforts. “There’s a lot of talk about the failure rates of condoms,” said Waxman, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. “It’s time we face the facts about the failure rate of abstinence-only programs.” Several people spoke at the hearing, including John Santelli, MD, MPH, Columbia University professor; Stan Weed, PhD, Institute for Research and Evaluation; and George Benjamin, MD, American Public Health Association. During the past decade, the federal government has spent $1.3 billion promoting abstinence. When the initiative started, every state except California took federal funds to pay for abstinence-only sex education classes. Today, 17 states are rejecting those funds. “For a health department to give up funding,” said Benjamin, “that’s a very important fact.” At another Congressional briefing, Bill Taverner, MA, director of the Center for Family Life Education at Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey, criticized abstinence-only educational efforts. “Abstinence-only programs are not honest, reliable, or complete and they are definitely not effective,” said Taverner. “A federal review of abstinence-only-until marriage programs found that 80 percent of the curricula contained ‘false, misleading, or distorted’ information about sexual health. Would we accept that level of false, misleading, or distorted information for any other subject?“ (Los Angeles Times, April 24, BBC News, April 26 and U.S. Congress, March 27) To watch a video of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, go here: http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID= 1910 “There is a moral imperative to control this epidemic.” — Nancy Pelosi U.S. to triple spending on global HIV/AIDS During the past five years, the U.S. has spent $15 billion combating HIV/AIDS in 12 African countries and Vietnam, Guyana and Haiti. In addition to prevention efforts, the aid provides anti-retroviral drugs to about 1.45 million people. President Bush proposed doubling the size of the program to $30 billion. The U.S. House of Representatives — led by Democrats — has voted to increase spending to $50 billion over the next five years. They’ve also proposed aiding 14 additional countries. “There is a moral imperative to control this epidemic,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (DCalif.). Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) voted against the bill. “We cannot afford such irrational generosity,” he said. “This is benevolence gone wild.” June 2008 Vol. 42, No. 6 | www.aasect.org Contemporary Sexuality 7 http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=310206 http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1910 http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1910 http://www.aasect.org

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Contemporary Sexuality - June 2008 Contents President’s Letter Member Spotlight Quick Hits: Sex in the News News of Members

Contemporary Sexuality - June 2008

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