Dec 01 2007
Clinton supports both encouraging abstinence and condom use to prevent AIDS
Democratic presidential candidate Hilary Clinton vowed Thursday to boost U.S. spending on HIV/AIDS prevention and encourage abstinence and the use of condoms to eradicate it, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Part of the solution, she said, is to teach “abstinence, be faithful and use condoms if necessary.”
At the Global Summit on AIDS event, reiterated a $50-billion plan announced days ago to fight AIDS and malaria.
The plan would increase U.S. spending to fight AIDS by about 20%, according to David Bryden, a spokesman for the Global Aids Alliance. All of the Democratic presidential candidates have committed to the same funding proposal, he said.
Other presidential candidates weighed via a video about their stances on AIDS prevention and sex education.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Romney and Arizona Sen. McCain praised AIDS-fighting efforts initiated by President Bush, with McCain saying he would favor continuing an “abstinence-only approach” to education about sex and sexually transmitted diseases in U.S. humanitarian efforts abroad.
For more detail about the various presidential candidates’ stances on sex education, please see this related post. The Kaiser Network’s presidential news and analysis Web site gives a good overview of Clinton’s speech and other news outlets’ coverage.