Interesting - the "anti-prostitution pledge" that many foreign aid groups have been facing for years is now coming home.

I read Bush has authorized a change in the funding of domestic AIDS groups. Basically, the groups have to say they're "anti-prostitution" before they recieve their funding. Now, this might not sound like the worst thing on the surface, but if you look closer, it has the potential to unravel our rights as we know them. First of all, many of these groups give protistutes and other sex workers the only education they have about safe sex. Sex workers here and abroad need to know that it is their right to refuse sex without a condom, etc. By taking this funding away, the administration is going to take away much of the power from these women and also increase the prevelence of the disease. The administration says that it can't give money to groups that support the "exploitation of women and young girls" - now, barring the fact that not all sex workers are trafficked - some actually choose this profession - I find it highly ironic that this administration - who has turned many a blind eye on companies here and abroad who exploit their workers - forcing them to work long hours in sweatshops only to spend the night in hot, crowded dorms - can talk about about the exploitation of women.
On another, perhaps even scarier note, this restriction brings our one step closer to having a "domestic gag rule". The "global gag rule" was reinstated by the Bush administration on his first day of office, and basically says that no family planning organizations overseas can recieve US funding unless they agree not to perform ,or even mention, abortion as a choice - even if the funds are not used for abortions. This means that organizations are losing money that is used for contraception, pre-natal care, among other things. Many organizations have turned down US funding in order to keep their autonomy- but have suffered. This new restriction on AIDS non-goverment organization is different, because it not only applies to forigen organizations - but those on our own turf as well. How much longer until Bush brings the global gag rule home? Will the day come when domestic non-profits have thier mouths taped if they want to keep their funding? Will family planning clinics here have to choose between recieving their federal funding and denying women their right to know their options - or forgo millions of dollars to maintain their voice? It's a scary day here in our neighborhood when that happens...