Former Surgeon General's Testimony Confirms that Politics Outweighed Women's Health Concerns
NEW YORK -- Legal Momentum applauds the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's investigation and strongly supports the call for reform of the Office of Surgeon General. "This is just one important step in the battle to depoliticize science and to stop playing politics with women's and girls' reproductive health," said Senior Staff Attorney Julie F. Kay.
"Political, ideologically and theologically driven" concerns have been prioritized at the expense of women's health according to former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona's testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on July 10, 2007. Federal policies concerning abstinence-only programs, emergency contraception, and abortion are dictated by "preconceived political agendas" which Dr. Carmona testified "fly in the face of good science."
"Dr. Carmona's remarks powerfully confirm that the administration's support for abstinence-only programs is politically motivated and comes at the expense of the health of women and girls," stated Kay.
Dr. Carmona testified that, based on the scientific evidence, he personally supported a comprehensive approach to sexuality education. However, the administration promoted strict abstinence-only policies because they "did not want to hear the science but wanted to, if you will, €preach abstinence' which I felt was scientifically incorrect." Several major studies have found evidence that abstinence-only programs are ineffective and harmful to women's health, yet the federal government continues to increase funding for these programs.
Former Surgeon General David Satcher noted a similar trend during his tenure in the Clinton administration. As far back as 2001 he found no scientific evidence that abstinence-only education is effective, he testified, and recommended that children be given age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education. However, Satcher remarked that his report was released only later during the Bush administration, and without the administration's support. As Dr. Satcher recalls, Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson commented to him: "You know the politics of sex in Washington."
