CARE Welcomes Action to Lift Abstinence-Until-Marriage Restrictions on U.S. HIV Funds

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 5, 2007) - CARE today praised the bold step taken by members of Congress to remove the "abstinence-until-marriage" restrictions attached to U.S. funds to fight HIV and AIDS.

Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE, the international humanitarian organization, said: "U.S. international AIDS policy must be comprehensive and evidence-based. The abstinence provision was neither - the one-third limit on funding was arbitrary and inflexible, and it needs to be removed."

Dr. Gayle thanked House Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., Rep. Jesse Jackson, D-Ill., and others on the subcommittee for their leadership on the issue. The subcommittee approved a draft FY2008 funding bill for the State Department and foreign operations that included a measure to remove a restriction on funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief requiring one third of all funding to go toward promoting abstinence.

CARE combats HIV and AIDS in 40 countries around the world and has firsthand experience with the limits the "abstinence" provision poses in using PEPFAR funds in the most effective manner.

An internationally respected physician and AIDS advocate, Dr. Gayle added, "The most effective way to prevent the spread of HIV is to help people reduce their vulnerability to HIV infection by providing a comprehensive set of options that give individuals, especially women, the means they need to protect themselves."

The abstinence provision, she explained, "reduces flexibility to develop prevention programs tied to specific contexts and makes it harder to deliver highly effective prevention programming. This new legislation will increase flexibility, strengthen our efforts and enhance the effectiveness of U.S. investments in the fight against global AIDS."

CARE has repeatedly said that the A and B components of the "Abstinence, Be Faithful and Use Condoms" (ABC) approach are important, but need to be advanced in an integrated way that balances all three elements and goes further.

"We must face the complicated realities of individuals living in resource-poor countries and tailor prevention to their specific settings and needs. This approach is strongly preferable to an arbitrary formula that is applied across the board," added Dr. Gayle.

"CARE urges Congress to support Chairwoman Lowey's efforts to modify the abstinence provision to substantially increase the ability of PEPFAR country teams and implementing partners to respond to local circumstances," she concluded.