And speaking of health, more lies from the Bush Administration

I ran across an item today via Think Progress that I have to comment on:

Govt Website: Abortions Make Women Feel ‘Sad,’ Resort To ‘Drugs’ And ‘Alcohol’

Yesterday, NARAL discovered that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had revised a government website, 4parents.gov, with biased and misleading ideological claims about abortion. From new website:

Some teen pregnancies end in abortion. Abortions can have complications. There may be emotional consequences, as well: some women say that they feel sad and some use more alcohol or drugs than before.

The previous version of the site contained factual information about the rates of teen pregnancy. But these new “facts” on the site are misleading. As the Guttmacher Institute’s May 2006 report noted:

[T]he APA [American Psychological Association] found that “women who are terminating pregnancies that are wanted or who lack support from their partner or parents for the abortion may feel a greater sense of loss, anxiety and distress. For most women, however, the time of greatest distress is likely to be before an abortion; after an abortion, women frequently report feeling ‘relief and happiness.’”

. . . This is not the first time 4parents.gov has put forth misleading information. When the site launched in 2005, it told parents “to convince their teens to stop having sex by telling their children that they are ‘worth it.’” But no resources were provided for “parents whose teen remains sexually active, implying that these youth are not ‘worth it.’” It also referred to a “fetus” as an “unborn baby.”

UPDATE: In 2005, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent Leavitt a letter with reviews by scientific experts who concluded that 4parents.gov’s content appeared “to have been guided by ideology.” He also noted that the website was not created by government scientists, as the administration claimed, “but rather through a no-bid contract to the National Physician’s Center for Family Resources, an obscure organization that has taken positions against scientific agencies on important matters of public health.”

So why is this signficant? Because the National Physician's Center for Family Resources also pushes incorrect information about the lgbt community.

The following is a passage from my upcoming book (with information taken from the article, Specter seeks review of teen health site, The Washington Blade, July 29, 2005):

In July 2005, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter asked that the national Health and Human Services look at a certain web site because it allegedly showed inaccurate information about homosexuality and contraception.

The web site, 4parents.gov, received information from an organization called the National Physicians Center for Family Resources. The chairman of the National Physicians Center for Family Resources board, John Whiffen, said the organization was correct regarding what it had printed about homosexuality.

He said:

“It’s fairly well-accepted that smoking is not a good idea. It takes seven years off of your life. It appears that male homosexuality takes more than that off your life."

That claim, as many of you know, comes from a Paul Cameron study. Our discredited friend strikes again.

With former Surgeon General Richard Carmona claiming that the Bush Administration impeded him from doing his job combined with James Holsinger's hearing tomorrow, I can't help but to wonder about this administration's commitment to health care not ruled by psuedo-Christian ideology.

James Holsinger hearings

Tomorrow begins the James Holsinger hearings. Hopefully there will be an explanation regarding his anti-gay biased study that doesn't involve him clinging to the cross like a martyr.

I can only wish that my esteemed Senator Lindsay Graham doesn't repeat his behavior from the Supreme Court hearings and ask Holsinger strictly tongue-in-check:

"Mr. Holsinger, you don't hate gay people, do you?"

The issue is not about whether or not Holsinger hates gay people. The issue is about his credibility. Can he be trusted as the head physician of the United States and not let his personal religious beliefs warp his professional ethics?

He certainly failed that test when writing the Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality and he needs to answer for it.

For an excellent critique of that piece of rot, go to Box Turtle Bulletin.

Hate crimes legislation

And now this from HRC. I urge everyone to take action because the anti-gay industry will be out in numbers against it:

Today Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) offered the Senate hate crimes bill, the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, as an amendment to the Department of Defense Reauthorization bill currently being debated on the Senate floor. The House of Representatives version of the bill passed with strong bipartisan support on May 3. The Senate bill, S. 1105, could be voted on as early as today. Joe Solmonese issued a statement on today's filing.

The right wing is in high gear on Capitol Hill today to fight the bill's passage and Senate leaders need to hear strong - and repeated - messages of support for the hate crimes bill from our side.

Call your senators ASAP at 202/224-3121 and urge them to vote in favor of the Matthew Shepard Act, S. 1105.

Cheap personal attack courtesy of Americans for Truth (in name only)

Lastly, I see that my friend Peter and the Americans for Truth (in name only) has stooped to a new low, proving that there are more than nine circles in hell.

The group is personally attacking Amy Andre, Manager of Training and Professional Development for Out & Equal. Out & Equal is a group devoted to issues of lgbt in the workplace.

So what did Andre do?

Nothing. Apparently on her own time, Andre has a site devoted to and has written articles regarding bisexual health and sexual health.

But leave it to our friend Peter to make it sound sleazy:

You might be interested in understanding the philosophy and politics of this woman who is pressing for radical change in employer-paid benefits – especially if you happen to be a corporate executive or a human resources director dealing with the Out & Equal agenda in your company. Consider whether your employees and customers share Amy Andre’s perspective…

Amy Andre is one of four co-authors credited with authoring the report entitled “bisexual health,” published Mar 13, 2007, by the Task Force. Here are a few quotes excerpted from Amy Andre’s own website:

My mission in life, and the goal of this website, is to encourage the safe exploration of pleasure and create political change. Are these two separate things? I think they’re one and the same.
My philosophy on pleasure is that consenting adults should be able to engage in whatever activities they desire to do safely with one another.

But, whether you find pleasure in watching – or making – pornography, taking a sex ed class in college, being able to express a sexual minority identity, or having hot safe sex with your lover(s), in reality, going for any of these is a political act.

Peter infers that Andre is linked to introducing all sorts of wild sexual activity to children. Strange how he does not provide any concrete proof of these charges.

Whatever the case maybe, it has nothing to do with her work at Out & Equal. And I personally think what she is doing is no different than the actions of Dr. Ruth or any other sex advice columnist.

There is nothing wrong with advocating good healthy sexual behavior, which is possible irregardless of your sexual orientation.

So is this the next step in attacking the gay community, Peter?

Is trolling online and finding things you can spin as "smut" against someone a Christian principle all of the sudden?

Please show me where in the Bible did Jesus advocated such trash?