Lies and Liars...Just the American Way?

The dangerous lie of Abstinence-Only anti-sex education goes international, as the Bush administration takes it’s ideological dog and pony show to the international AIDS conference, recently held in Bangkok.

From Washington Post:” BANGKOK, July 13 -- The Bush administration's prohibition against using money from its $15 billion global AIDS plan to buy foreign-produced generic drugs is complicating the delivery of medicine to some of the millions of poor people who badly need it, according to AIDS experts at an international conference here.”

In a move that fills the needs of no one but the major US drug manufacturers, the Bush Administrations’ rules for spending the $15 Billion dollars, ear marked for international anti- Aids programs, prohibit spending any American funds on non US generic drugs.

Most countries who support AIDS programs in Africa, India, and Asia, require that the generic drugs used, be vetted by the World Health Organization’s ‘Pre-qualification’ process. The WHO’s pre-qualification process is similar to the FDA tests.

The US refuses to accept this process. Meaning all drugs bought by the programs, run in some of the poorest countries in the world, must be FDA approved. American manufactured drugs cost 100% to 300% more, compared to the cost of generics currently used.

Another destructive stipulation is that 1/3 of the money must be spent on Abstinence-Only programs. The same programs that don’t work in America or anywhere else.
Five billion dollars virtually thrown away on ideologically motivated hocus-pocus.

This comes shortly after the CDC, in the States, decided to curtail HIV prevention programs, in America. In favour of focusing on care for those already ill with the disease.

Forget prevention, just treat the new cases as they appear. No one, NO ONE, gentle reader, but the drug manufacturing companies gain from this irrational policy.

At the same time, federal funds are being withdrawn from any group with a positive view of safer sex initiatives.

And guess who the Administrations’ front man in Bangkok is? Who is defending this destructive policy to the world ? Why none other than Randall L. Tobias, the former chairman and chief executive of the giant drug maker Eli Lilly and Co..

Now do you get it?

Please check out the hyper text linds above. See how Mr. Tobias describes the Abstinence-Only programs being exported from the US. Mr. Tobias' fairy tale version of Abstinence-Only is in the second link, (Tobias Defends policy).

Then, if you will, read this short article which describes the reality of the program as it is actually implemented and enforced in the US.

It is very different from what our American drug Baron is telling the delegates to the world conference.

Lies and liars, the American way. Some things just never change.