Frank Lautenberg: “This provision says that an organization that is otherwise eligible to receive assistance authorized by this Act to…”

“This provision says that an organization that is otherwise eligible to receive assistance authorized by this Act to prevent, treat, or monitor HIV/AIDS, shall not be required, as a condition of receiving that assistance, to endorse or utilize a multisectoral approach to combating HIV/AIDS, or to endorse, utilize, or participate in a prevention method or treatment program to which the organization has a religious or moral objection. Again, I support this provision, because there are faith-based groups that are playing a crucial role in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment which do not, for example want to distribute condoms. I understand that. There are other ways that they can be effective, through counseling, treatment, care and other services. They should not have to distribute condoms if they have a religious or moral objection. But there is a problem, which this provision fails to explicitly address. Some of these same groups that object to distributing condoms, have actively sought to discourage people from using condoms. They have told people who have come to them for advice and counseling that condoms are bad, that they should not use them, and, erroneously, that condoms usually fail. This is wrong. It is wrong from a medical point of view and it is wrong from an ethical point of view, because the consequence of providing this type of inaccurate or misleading information can quite possibly be death.”