| Michael Leavitt Nominated as New Secretary of Health and Human Services |
| On December 13, President Bush nominated Michael O. Leavitt, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the past year, to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). He would replace current Secretary Tommy Thompson who recently announced his resignation.
"When confirmed by the Senate, Mike Leavitt will be ... |
| UNICEF Report on the State of the World's Children Emphasizes Need for Comprehensive HIV-Prevention |
| On December 9, UNICEF released The State of the World's Children 2005: Childhood Under Threat. The report describes the many challenges facing children worldwide. UNICEF found significant advances in meeting the needs of children but warns that this recent progress is in danger of reversal. While acknowledging that the challenges ... |
| Bush Judicial Nominations Watch: The Next Supreme Court Vacancy |
| The highly anticipated retirement of a U.S. Supreme Court justice is one step closer to becoming reality with the recent announcement of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's failing health. Rehnquist, 80, was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Richard Nixon 33 years ago in 1972 and was elevated to ... |
| Representative Waxman's Report Reveals Dangerous Flaws with Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs |
| On December 1, Representative Henry Waxman (R-CA) released a report criticizing the abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula used by over two-thirds of Special Projects of Regional and National Significance-Community Based Abstinence Education (SPRANS-CBAE) grantees.1 SPRANS-CBAE is the largest federal funding stream for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs with a Fiscal Year 2005 budget of over $100 ... |
| Frist Supports Review of Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs But Avoids Addressing Inaccuracies |
| Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) acknowledged that abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula used by federally funded programs should be reviewed. The issue was front and center as a result of a report released on December 1 by Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA). The report found that 11 of the 13 most popular curricula ... |
| The Far-Right's Fight Against Kinsey |
| The new movie "Kinsey" has gained a lot of attention from members of the Christian conservative movement. Groups like Focus on the Family and Concerned Women for America have been working together for over two years to protest the movie's release across the country.
The film company Fox Searchlight, ironically ... |
| Alabama Lawmaker Fights |
| Alabama State Representative Gerald Allen (R) has proposed a bill that would ban all books with gay characters or themes from public libraries, schools, or universities. Allen has also sought to ban gay marriages through an amendment to the state constitution.
If it were to pass, the bill would prohibit ... |
