November 15, 2002
The War on Condoms
Marie Cocco in Newsday says that the administration is "waging a covert war on condoms."Cocco says a fact sheet on the effectiveness of condoms in preventing the transmission of AIDS has disappeared from the Centers for Disease Control Web site.Where the notice used to be now says, "Being revised."
Another listing on the CDC site disappeared, this one on methods that have been shown to be effective in reducing risky behavior in teens.
A Dr. Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., who now sits on the presidential AIDS panel, explains why information on condoms as an effective deterrent to disease is no longer displayed on the government's site. "The only 100 percent effective way to avoid nonmarital pregnancy and STD infection is to avoid sexual activity outside a mutually faithful, lifelong relationship - marriage," he said.
Could this administration get more backward? More Medieval? Could you write a Saturday Night Live skit on these people that would be any more absurd than reality?
John Ashcroft spent thousands of dollars of taxpayer money to cover the breasts on the statues in front of the Department of Justice so his holy press conferences would not be stained by the obscenity of the naked breasts portrayed in the sculptures.
After reading about the condom incident, I thought, what could these guys do next that could be any crazier than trying to restrict the flow of information about condoms? Then the answer came, they'll think of something. They always do.
Now only tonight I see the answer to my question. Now the House of Representatives is debating a bill to jail hackers for life. (See News.com.)