Bush admin. appoints abstinence only, anti contraception advocate as ...

Deputy Assistant Secratary for Population Affairs.
Story

I can understand appointing someone that is pro-life to such a position as there is a sizeable percentage of the population that holds that view. However I feel that anyone that holds a high level position in an organization that regards contraception as “demeaning to women” is so far outside the mainstream as to be unfit to appoint to the Department of Health and Human Services Family Planning programs. It seems especially odd given the “thumping” the administration took in the recent election, in which they were widely criticized for being too closely allied with the religious right. This appointment is not subject to confirmation, apparently he’s in.

Am I wrong to be concerned about this? Does this position carry much real influence?

Pit thread.

Mr Bush could not have picked a better way to show that he learned nothing in the election. He farmed out AIDS in Africa programs to religious groups that don’t believe in condoms, and now this.

Does the Senate have to confirm this?

Nope. That was in the linked article in the Pit thread.

Here’s a link to the Office Of Population Affairs/Office Of Family Planning website that gives more info on what exactly this guy will be overseeing.

Office Of Family Planning

If this info from the site is reasonably accurate, I’d sure hate to see somebody mess that up.