March 2003

Around the Country: Good News

Annan speaks out against AIDS stigma. In an opinion piece in the Austin-American Statesman (12/3), U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said, “The fear of stigma leads to silence, and when it come to fighting AIDS, silence is death,” adding that the stigma “suppresses public discussion” and prevents people from being tested. He said, “The most powerful weapons against stigma and silence are the voices of the world’s people speaking up.”

Florida county to start teen mentor program for sex education. Hernando County, Florida is starting a teen mentor program to teach teens about pregnancy and std prevention, “refusal skills,” and reproductive health. The Resource Teen program will be modeled after the state’s Students Working Against Tobacco program.” Teenagers will be trained as peer educators and go into their communities to offer other teens “specific information” on sexual activity and its possible outcomes. County adolescent health education specialist Mary Benedett said, “The Œjust say no’ effort has become the Œhere’s why you should be careful’ effort,” adding “kids listen to other kids when they won’t listen to adults.” (St. Petersburg Times, 1/5).

Washington state considers bill requiring “medically accurate” sex education.” State lawmakers are considering legislation that would require all schools with sex education programs to provide only “medically accurate” information “supported by scientific research and experts in the sexual health field,” according to the Associated Press. High school students testified at a state House Health Care Committee hearing that in classes conducted by Sexuality, Health, and Relationship Education (SHARE), an abstinence-only program used in about 100 schools state-wide; they said they were told that women who have abortions “will probably die or become sterile” and that condoms are “not very effective” in preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. One also said that many students chose not to use condoms because of the information they received about their effectiveness. Kathy Taylor, SHARE executive director, said that the claims of the students were “absolute lies.” LeAnna Benn, national director of Teen-Aid, a program that promotes abstinence-only sex education, said she opposed the bill. Judith Billings, chair of the Governor’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, said, “It’s totally beyond my comprehension that anybody would object to providing medically accurate information to our young people.” (AP, 1/30)

Boston mayor calls for over-the-counter sale of hypodermic needles. Mayor Thomas Menino in December called on the Massachusetts legislature to give the city’s pharmacies the option to sell hypodermics without a prescription in order to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis. At a World AIDS Day observance Menino said, “The AIDS crisis is not over. The numbers are growing. We’ve got to do something.” Boston already has a needle exchange program. About 32% of the people with AIDS statewide contracted HIV through injection drug use. Menino’s initiative is opposed by the Massachusetts Catholic Conference on the grounds that it would encourage further drug abuse.

Philadelphia begins voluntary testing of high school students for STDs. The city’s Public Health department is offering voluntary screening and free treatment to all city high schools students; they expect to test up to 30,000 students particularly for chlamydia, which has become epidemic in the city among young women aged 15 to 19. As part of the school-based program, students will be given a presentation on stds and can then choose to provide a urine sample to be analyzed for chlamydia and gonorrhea. The department has also set up free testing at recreation centers, city pools, the Youth Study Center, and district health centers; over 13,000 students have already been tested.