U.S. Surgeon General To
Release Report on Sexuality

WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - Surgeon General David Satcher said Tuesday he will release a major report on sexuality in America by the end of June.

Rumors of the report's demise have been swirling since the Bush administration took over. Two years in the making, the report will address many topics that make Americans squeamish, Satcher said, speaking at a symposium marking the 20th anniversary of the start of the AIDS epidemic in America.

But it is imperative that the report be released, he said, adding that it will incorporate the best science and views ranging from ``ultra-conservative to ultra-liberal.''

``Our nation is suffering in so many ways because of the failure to address human sexuality,'' Satcher said, citing the high rates of rape, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, child sexual abuse, and attacks motivated by anti-homosexual attitudes.

``I'm hoping our report will contribute to moving our nation forward,'' he said.

There are 14 million to 15 million cases of sexually transmitted disease each year alone, 4 million of them in teenagers, Satcher pointed out.

Of the 900,000 people who are estimated to be infected with HIV, one-third are unaware that they are infected, one-third are being treated and the final third won't seek treatment because they are ashamed, he said, noting that the federal government must help create environments that will encourage minorities in particular to be tested and seek treatment.

Finally, Satcher said that, often, the gulf between science--what we know, and policy--what we can do--is so large as to be dangerous, and potentially, fatal.

``I can think of no other area where the gap between what we know and what we do is so lethal as in human sexuality,'' he said.

Reference Source 89

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