William Smith is Executive Director of the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) and previously Vice President for Public Policy at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS).
We need to educate the American public that this “silent epidemic” – as STDs are frequently called – is real, in our midst, and we need to prioritize them as part of the national focus on prevention.
On April 16th, the CDC released new data about the rates of congenital syphilis (CS) and the trends are going totally in the wrong direction. Nearly 500 children were born in 2008 with a totally preventable life-threatening illness.
We are losing the battle on sexually transmitted infections in the United States, a loss that will have grave implications for public health. And in the first few months of my new job as executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, I’ve learned some things that will help us be more effective in this battle, if we take heed.
Obama’s 2011 federal budget–to be released next week–will be a strong reflection of the moral vision of the President and his Administration.
We had a moment at the end of the summer where the Administration began to use moral language to muster support for its efforts, but that has passed. However, if we want healthcare for all, the moral argument needs to be front and center.
A new report from SIECUS finds that U.S. policy is thwarting HIV prevention in Zambia, where an estimated 15 percent of the population is HIV-positive and life expectancy has plummeted to less than 39 years.
A United Nations Economic and Social Council meeting concluded last week with unequivocal support for comprehensive sex education throughout Latin America and the Caribbean to help stem the HIV epidemic and promote overall health.
SIECUS research this year shows that there are now seven states that are completely free of any federal abstinence-only-until-marriage money.
Public school teacher Debra Taylor’s resignation over teaching “The Laramie Project” to Oklahoma high schoolers is but one instance of a hostile environment for LGBT youth across the country.
The showdown in the Senate over the remaining Fiscal Year 2009 appropriations has members of the Republican party clamoring to cut spending. So why don’t they go after wasteful abstinence-only earmarks?
