Editorial: Delivering the wrong message

Thursday, June 1, 2006 | 7:24 a.m.

In representing the United States this week at a United Nations conference about fighting the AIDS epidemic, first lady Laura Bush will promote sexual abstinence as the best way to combat the disease worldwide.

According to Bloomberg News, Laura Bush's attendance as the U.S. representative and her promotion of the Bush administration's abstinence platform has drawn widespread criticism from AIDS prevention experts.

Some critics say the first lady has "no real political power" and renders the United States virtually absent from the talks by heading up its delegation. But it's likely no one has better access to influence President Bush than his wife. And the fact that she is part of a U.S. delegation means that the Bush administration also is sending advisers and experts.

Abstinence is an important part of an overall AIDS prevention plan. What's unnerving is that the Bush administration is pushing this as the first and nearly exclusive line of defense against a disease that has killed more than 25 million people worldwide since 1981. One expert says the position frustrates European allies and undermines efforts to distribute condoms among teens, making it "impossible" to prevent the spread of AIDS in that age group.

In fact, Bloomberg News reports, the Bush administration's tiresome abstinence-above-all-else philosophy is embraced only by the Vatican and Middle East countries such as Syria and Iran. These are the United States' allies in the global fight against AIDS?

It doesn't matter who Bush sends to deliver his sadly one-dimensional solution to an epidemic that needs a comprehensive global approach. The messenger isn't the problem. The president's message would be wrong no matter who delivered it.