Cliff Stearns: “we talk here about abstinence. We have to look no further than Uganda for proof of the effectiveness of abstinence in…”

“we talk here about abstinence. We have to look no further than Uganda for proof of the effectiveness of abstinence in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Riddled with HIV infections since the 1970s, Uganda took the first step. It found that through community education efforts, they could develop a strategy to prevent more HIV/AIDS patients; and in fact, a study done by Harvard University has proven that promotion of abstinence through billboards, radio programs, and school sex education curricula has resulted in a slow and steady drop in HIV infection rates, as well as new attitudes about conquering AIDS in Uganda. So we have proof positive from this study that abstinence works. When the program started in the late 1980s, the number of pregnant women infected with HIV was 21.2 percent. By 2001, the number had dropped dramatically to 6.2 percent. The Harvard study also reported Uganda adults are not having as much risky sex. Of women 15 and older, those reporting many sexual partners dropped from 18.4 percent in 1989 to 2.5 percent in the year 2000. The emphasis is on abstinence in Uganda's program. It is unique all through Africa.”