Congress is finally responding to research showing that in a number of African countries, married women are at a higher risk for HIV than their unmarried counterparts. In light of this and other research, the time has come to repeal the abstinence-until-marriage earmark from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Ground-breaking legislation to accomplish this goal was introduced yesterday by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), Congressman Jim Leach (R-IA), Congressman Chris Shays (R-CT), and 54 Democratic Members of the House of Representatives.

The “Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth Act of 2006” (H.R.5674) repeals the congressional earmark that requires PEPFAR to allocate 33% of HIV prevention funding for abstinence-until-marriage programs. A recent GAO report, Spending Requirement Presents Challenges for Allocating Prevention Funding Under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, found that the earmark “undermine[s] the integration of prevention programs by forcing [countries] to isolate funding” for only the ‘Abstinence’ and ‘Be Faithful’ components of the ABC prevention plan. The report also found that the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator was applying the earmark to all PEPFAR prevention funds, beyond what was required by law, placing further constraints on limited funds.

Duff Gillespie, who headed AIDS programs at USAID until 2002, was quoted in a Baltimore Sun article saying this policy is “outrageous and stupid… [and] from a public health policy point of view it’s irresponsible.”

Additionally, the bill would require President Bush and the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator to develop a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy to address the major factors contributing to gender disparities in HIV infection as women and girls increasingly are the face of the pandemic. These strategies include: increasing access to female condoms, empowering women and girls to avoid child-marriage, integrating sexual and reproductive health programs, protecting property rights of women, and expanding education opportunities.

Congress is clearly starting to come to their senses when it comes to lives of women and young people. This bill has the opportunity to change the U.S. government’s ideological-driven global HIV prevention agenda and provide honest, comprehensive services to those who need them most.

For more information:

http://lee.house.gov

http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/gaobrief.pdf

http://www.pepfarwatch.org

Naina Dhingra is Director of Public Policy for Advocates for Youth.