Women’s Advocacy Groups Give Bush Administration Failing Grade in ‘Reality’ of HIV/AIDS Policies

The Center for Health and Gender Equity, the Feminist Majority Foundation and the Women's Environment and Development Organization, together with the Communications Consortium Media Center, on Tuesday released the first in a series of Global Women's Issues Scorecards on the Bush administration's efforts on international women's rights and health concerns, including family planning and HIV/AIDS, according to a CHANGE release (CHANGE release, 8/26). The scorecard compares the "rhetoric" and "reality" of the administration's response to issues including the global AIDS initiative, international family planning and the Millennium Challenge Account, among others (Global Women's Issues Scorecard on the Bush Administration release, 8/26). The group gave the administration a "B" for rhetoric on the global HIV/AIDS initiative and a "D" for international family planning rhetoric (CHANGE release, 8/26). However, the group gave the administration failing grades in "reality" (Global Women's Issues Scorecard on the Bush Administration release, 8/26). Jodi Jacobson, executive director of CHANGE, said, "President Bush and members of his administration have sought to promote themselves as compassionate conservatives in part by speaking out on urgent global issues, such as the global AIDS epidemic. But as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. And in this regard, women throughout the world will find little to celebrate in this administration's policies to date." Jacobson added, "To improve its record and be more accountable to its own stated goals, the Bush administration should move quickly to put in place the programs and the resources to secure and promote the rights of women; ... to expand women's access to basic reproductive and sexual health care, including both prevention of and treatment for HIV/AIDS; and address the epidemic of gender-based violence that threatens the lives of women everywhere" (CHANGE release, 8/26).