Former AIDS Czar Quits Amid D.C. Escort Furor
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in General Politics, SexualityHe said he did nothing wrong. Just got some massages.
So why did he resign again?
Deputy Secretary of State Randall L. Tobias submitted his resignation Friday, one day after confirming to ABC News that he had been a customer of a Washington, D.C. escort service whose owner has been charged by federal prosecutors with running a prostitution operation.Tobias, 65, director of U.S. Foreign Assistance and administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), had previously served as the ambassador for the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief. [...]
So what did he do as AIDS czar? Well…
As the Bush administration’s so-called “AIDS czar,” Tobias was criticized by some for emphasizing faithfulness and abstinence over condom use to prevent the spread of AIDS.In a 2004 interview, Tobias explained his approach as “A and B and C. . . Abstinence works. ‘Be faithful’ works. Condoms work. They all have a role. But it’s not a multiple choice, where there is only one answer.”
As a top official overseeing global AIDS funding to other countries, Tobias was responsible for enforcing a U.S. policy, enacted during the Bush administration, that requires recipients to swear they oppose prostitution and sex trafficking. USAID adopted a similar policy in 2004.
Ouch.
By the way, sort of off the subject, but how many of you think prostitution should be legalized and regulated? And if we’re really serious about wiping out AIDS, shouldn’t legal, regulated prostitution be seen as a key tactic in stemming the spread of these diseases?
This entry was posted on Saturday, April 28th, 2007 and is filed under General Politics, Sexuality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
April 28th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
I’m a pretty conservative Christian, and the last thing I’d like to see is prostitution flourishing. I certainly don’t want to see the United States turning into Amsterdam, but I have to admit that it’s a policy that has merit. However, I’m inclined to say that if you’re going to legalize anything, marijuana should go first. You certainly won’t be able to legalize both at the same time.
April 28th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
I’m distinctly uncomfortable with the way prostitution works in my state (where it is both illegal and prevalent).
Women (and men, young girls and boys) are victimized. Diseases are transmitted. City streets are turned into sleazy drags.
And “enforcement” seems to get sucked into corruption far too often.
Far better, it seems to me, to legalize and regulate.
In places where prostitution is regulated, sex workers are given regular health care and laws are followed, and disease transmission is relatively rare. There are far more opportunities to monitor and, if necessary, intervene in the event a sex worker is spiraling into drug abuse or other risky behaviors.
April 29th, 2007 at 11:22 am
[...] Personally, aside from hypocrites like Randall Tobias, I don’t think anybody did anything wrong here. Prostitution should be legalized and regulated. And one has to wonder if, after this scandal, we’ll start to hear politicians saying the same thing. [...]
April 29th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Tobias made his money as Eli Lilly CEO when their top seller Prozac was going strong.My issue is he was an unqualified hack for the job.
Daniel Haszard Eli Lilly whistle-blower