8/13/2019 GAO Report Global AIDS Laws Abstinence Until Marriage
Earmark Shortchanges Other Key Prevention Strategies
1/2
GAO Report: Global AIDS Law's 'Abstinence-Until-Marriage'
EarmarkSortcanges Oter !e" #re$ention Strategies
G%ttmacer #olic" Re$iewSpring 2006, Volume 9, Number 2
&or te RecorA Government Accountability Office (GAO) report
to ongre!! "ate" April # "etail! t$e negative effect! of
t$e legal re%uirement t$at at lea!t one&t$ir" of all
prevention fun"! appropriate" un"er t$e 're!i"ent!
mergency 'lan for A*+S elief (''-A) be re!erve" for
.ab!tinence&until&marriage. program!/ $e
report conclu"e! t$at !ip$oning off fun"! for t$e!e activitie!
$a! force" !ome ''-A country team! to
re"uce t$e fun"ing t$ey ot$er1i!e 1oul" $ave provi"e" to ot$er
ey prevention intervention!/ Negatively
affecte" program! inclu"e t$o!e to prevent t$e tran!mi!!ion of
3*V4A*+S "uring pregnancy an" c$il"birt$,
to promote compre$en!ive me!!age! aime" at preventing t$e !e5ual
tran!mi!!ion of 3*V4A*+S, an" to
!upport prevention program! aime" at 3*V&po!itive people an"
$ig$&ri! group! !uc$ a! !e5ually active
yout$, 1$ic$ coul" involve t$e "i!tribution of con"om!/
*n fall 200, t$e State +epartment! Office of t$e 7/S/ Global
A*+S oor"inator "evi!e" a formula
implementing t$e ab!tinence&until&marriage re%uirement/
$e gui"eline! !pecify t$at ''-A country
team! mu!t re!erve $alf of t$eir prevention fun"! for program!
to prevent t$e !e5ual tran!mi!!ion of3*V4A*+S8 t$e remain"er mu!t
cover all ot$er in"! of prevention intervention!, !uc$ a!
mot$er&to&c$il"
an" bloo"&!afety program!/ *n eac$ country, at lea!t
t1o&t$ir"! of t$e fun"! to prevent t$e !e5ual
tran!mi!!ion of 3*V4A*+S mu!t be u!e" to promote ab!tinence an"
.fait$fulne!!,. 1$ic$ t$e a"mini!tration
"eem! to be t$e t1o goal! of t$e
ab!tinence&until&marriage program/ $u!, t1o&t$ir"! of
one&$alf of all t$e
prevention fun"! are re!erve" to promote ab!tinence an"
fait$fulne!!or one&t$ir" of t$e total prevention
allocation to eac$ country/
The report sheds important new light on the impact of making
the
abstinence-until-marriage program the single most important U.S.
global
HIV/AIS pre!ention strateg".
Numerou! member! of ongre!! on bot$ !i"e! of t$e
.ab!tinence&only. "ebate $a" a!e" t$e GAOongre!! au"it,
evaluation an" inve!tigative armto con"uct a revie1 of t$e effect!
of t$e !tatutory
earmar, inclu"ing $o1 t$e a"mini!tration $a! c$o!en to implement
it/ GAO inve!tigator! !pent t$e la!t
year intervie1ing official!bot$ in t$e 7nite" State! an" in
!electe" ''-A focu! countrie!from ey
government agencie!, fait$&ba!e" an" ot$er nongovernmental
organi:ation! an" $o!t country
government! t$em!elve!/ .Sati!fying ;t$e la1!<
ab!tinence&until&marriage !pen"ing re%uirement pre!ent!
c$allenge! to mo!t country team!,. t$e GAO reporte"/ =eeting t$e
earmar, GAO inve!tigator! 1ere tol",
pre!ent! country team! 1it$ a conflict in !taying true to t$e
ot$er "irective un"er ''-A, al!o !tipulate"
by la1, t$at t$ey promote a compre$en!ive A> approac$
(ab!tain, be fait$ful, u!e con"om!) to
preventing t$e !e5ual tran!mi!!ion of 3*V4A*+S/
ecogni:ing t$e problem! in$erent in impo!ing a !trict formula on
countrie! ranging from Vietnam to
?ambia to 3aiti, 1$ic$ "iffer 1i"ely in term! of t$e nature of
t$eir 3*V4A*+S epi"emic! a! 1ell a! !ocial
an" cultural norm!, t$e a"mini!tration $a! e!tabli!$e" a
.1aiver. !y!tem 1$ereby country team! may berelea!e" from t$e
formula ba!e" on t$e local epi"emiology an" !pecific country nee"!/
GAO note!,
$o1ever, t$at alt$oug$ t$i! may $ave alleviate" t$e problem in
t$o!e countrie! t$at $ave 1on 1aiver!, t$e
remaining country team! mu!t compen!ate by !pen"ing even more
t$an one&t$ir" of t$eir total prevention
fun"! on ab!tinence an" fait$fulne!! program! to meet t$e
!tatutory re%uirement at t$e global level/
A!!e!!ing t$e content or effectivene!! of t$e ab!tinence an"
fait$fulne!! program! t$at t$e 7nite" State!
i! fun"ing 1a! beyon" t$e !cope of t$i! particular report8 t$at
coul" be a pro@ect for t$e future/ Still, t$e
report !$e"! important ne1 lig$t on t$e impact of maing t$e
ab!tinence&until&marriage program t$e !ingle
mo!t important 7/S/ global 3*V4A*+S prevention !trategy/ *t
reveal! t$at a! long a! re!ource! are not
infinite, t$e man"ate" $ig$ level of fun"ing in t$i! area i!
coming at t$e e5pen!e of ot$er, proven
intervention!, 1$ic$ in many ca!e! $ave been "eeme" $ig$er
priority by t$e public $ealt$ profe!!ional! on
t$e groun"/
7pon t$e relea!e of t$e GAO report, Sen/ +ianne -ein!tein
(+&A) imme"iately "enounce" t$e
ab!tinence&until&marriage earmar in t$e 7nite" State!
ea"er!$ip Again!t 3*V4A*+S, uberculo!i!, an"
