Louise Slaughter: “Mr. Speaker, the issue here today is whether or not we are going to make decisions on the basis of science, or are we…”

“Mr. Speaker, the issue here today is whether or not we are going to make decisions on the basis of science, or are we going to have the politics of gesture. Now, there is clear evidence that the program that has been operating in the Northwest for the last few years has been very effective. And, in fact, the article by the authors from British Columbia that is widely quoted as saying the needle exchange does not work contains the sentence that says, ``The authors must point out that the officials who have used this information have misrepresented our research.'' The fact is that in the Northwest, it is operating in nine counties. The AIDS infection rate in Seattle and Tacoma is 3 percent among drug addicts; whereas, in the South and in the East, in New York City and in other places, it is between 20 and 30 percent. There is clear evidence that this is effective in reducing the infection rate.”