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Washington, DC, June 21, 2007—Today, during a debate on the floor of the US House of Representatives, Representatives Joseph Pitts (R-PA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) indicated that Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu would support an amendment offered to the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill that favors abstinence-only programs.

"It is simply false to say that Archbishop Tutu backs abstinence-only programs and quite misleading to say he would support the amendment," said Dr. Paul Zeitz, Executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance.  Archbishop Desmond Tutu is the Honorary Chair of the Global AIDS Alliance and his daughter, Rev. Mpho Tutu, chairs GAA's Board of Directors.

The amendment, which was offered by Rep. Pitts, sought to prevent passage of a provision in the bill that would relax the requirement that one-third of all money spent on HIV prevention go to abstinence-until-marriage and fidelity programs.  It would give the Administration the option of waiving the requirement in order to more flexibly meet local needs.  The amendment to strike this provision was opposed by the Global AIDS Alliance, the Episcopal Church, and many other groups, and it failed by 26 votes.

Far from supporting the abstinence-only approach, Archbishop Tutu is on the record in support of comprehensive HIV prevention.  As he said in an interview with Christian Aid in 2004:

You have to be aware that we live in the real world and therefore we have to take account of the fact that many people will find it difficult to live up to the high standards set before them [by the church]....  People need to be taught that safer sex, with condoms, is for their own sakes.  Unprotected sex kills."

Additionally, Archbishop Tutu recently indicated his frustration that Pope Benedict XVI does not have "a more reasonable position with regards to condoms and HIV/AIDS."  He has encouraged the church to reconsider its position on condoms, and has directly urged his fellow South Africans to "please use condoms."

The United Methodist Church also opposed the House amendment, stating: "Abstinence needs to be a critical component of sex education, but not the only component.  The United Methodist Church opposes any amendment which would remove the provision, approved by the Appropriations Committee, which makes the abstinence requirement more flexible."