# Bush admin. appoints abstinence only, anti contraception advocate as ... **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 18, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-appoints-abstinence-only-anti-contraception-advocate-as/380909 "2006-11-18T01:49:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-appoints-abstinence-only-anti-contraception-advocate-as/380909/1 "2006-11-18T01:49:51Z")
Deputy Assistant Secratary for Population Affairs. [Story](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/16/AR2006111601929.html) 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? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-appoints-abstinence-only-anti-contraception-advocate-as/380909/2 "2006-11-18T02:27:05Z")
[Pit thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=396695) ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-appoints-abstinence-only-anti-contraception-advocate-as/380909/3 "2006-11-20T19:43:30Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-appoints-abstinence-only-anti-contraception-advocate-as/380909/4 "2006-11-20T19:50:06Z")
Does the Senate have to confirm this? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-appoints-abstinence-only-anti-contraception-advocate-as/380909/5 "2006-11-20T20:01:31Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Does the Senate have to confirm this? [/QUOTE] Nope. That was in the linked article in the Pit thread. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-admin-appoints-abstinence-only-anti-contraception-advocate-as/380909/6 "2006-11-21T00:22:04Z")
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](http://opa.osophs.dhhs.gov/titlex/ofp.html) > [@](#): > > The contraceptive counseling and services available in Title X-funded clinic settings help couples space births and plan intended pregnancies, an important element in ensuring positive birth outcomes and a healthy start for infants. Each year, publicly subsidized family planning services help women avoid an estimated 1.3 million unintended pregnancies. Estimates also show that every public dollar spent for contraceptive services saves an average of $3 in Medicaid costs for pregnancy-related health care and for medical care of newborns. Title X services assist individuals in preventing sexually transmitted infections including HIV and concomitant complications and also play a major role in the early detection of breast and cervical cancer. If this info from the site is reasonably accurate, I’d sure hate to see somebody mess that up.