h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

- The Bush administration is considering a plan that would prohibit AIDS funding to foreign nongovernment organizations (NGOs) that do not separate their HIV/AIDS programs from family planning services that include abortion counseling or procedures, according to a leaked State Department memorandum.

"It is ludicrous to expect that organizations in Africa can or should establish separate HIV/AIDS programs in order to receive US funds," Dr. Paul Zeitz said. "These restrictions will hamper the rapid expansion of global AIDS programs," he added."The restrictions represent a Washington-imposed mandate that's unrealistic and costly in the African context."
by Reuters Health and paraphrased here.

I knew there was gonna be a catch to the Aids money deal! They WILL not give money to an organiztion that also contributes to womens birth control and abortions!Therefore they are asking for seperate facilities and personal,biuldings ect.$$$ spent on nothing really, to setup seperate *Aids clinics*!

Dubya`s so-called teen sex ideas are intended to force women back to the day that their only hope of not having a child was a back street illegal abortion factory.To not want to educate about sex is criminal to me."just say no" easy for Nancy Regan to say(although I read somewhere she was a 'party' girl-not a prude by a long-shot.But she`s certainly out-of-touch w/today`s culture! The federal government is cutting millions of $ out of the education system/out-reach programs/ kid`s aid programmes/...the beat goes on...A neugen Hi Abbi!!

On the other hand...
given the importance that any Aids/HIV treatment would have,
considering the fact that there is none in many parts of Africa,
and given the importance of any family planning guidance, of which there is very little,
it is no hardship to deal with the more serious "medical" matter,
and leave the slighty less serious matter of "choice" to other facilities.

Despite the religious right aspect of the Bush policies, one has to consider that it might be a real good idea not to associate ALL "sexual" activities with each other.
Do you really want pregnant women or women who no longer wish to be pregnant to undergo what amounts in some cases to surgery, in the case of voluntary sterilization, to be exposed to AIDS/Hiv patients who might be, um, to put it politely, "wandering in off the road"?

There is also the fact that the various religions and local political factions in Africa still have this thing about separating the sexes.
A male AIDS patient might have a problem going to a facility that has women sharing examining rooms or waiting areas. His religious leader might have a problem with it, too.

And some of the women who choose to have birth control and/or abortions might just want a little privacy, since they might be considered adulterers or bad women for wanting to get rid of the prerogative of a man or an entire family...

There is no short, sweet answer to most things.
There is also no short, bitter blame, either.

There's always a catch to everything.
TINSTAAFL...