New Jersey Considers Mandatory HIV Test

Staff / Truthdig May 12, 2007 A new proposal would make New Jersey the first state to require HIV testing for pregnant women and their babies, unless the women decline the test in writing. Currently four states test just mothers, and two others only newborns. The bill is opposed by the D.C.-based Center for Women Policy Studies on the grounds that it limits health rights. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

AIDS Czar Caught With His Pants Down

Ellen Goodman / Truthdig May 3, 2007 Abstinence advocate and Deputy Secretary of State Randall Tobias had to resign after admitting to $300 "massages" furnished by the "D.C. madam," but the real scandal is the administration's support -- to the tune of billions of dollars -- for a faith-based AIDS prevention philosophy that simply doesn't work. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Borders, Bullies and Global Health

Scott Tucker / Truthdig Apr 21, 2007 Australian Prime Minister John Howard is hurting politically, and so he has despicably turned against the vulnerable, arguing recently that Australia should have a blanket ban against HIV-positive immigrants. Dig deeper ( 13 Min. Read )

Circumcision Reduces AIDS Risk

Staff / Truthdig Dec 14, 2006 According to officials from the National Institutes of Health, circumcision reduces the risk in men of contracting HIV through heterosexual sex by roughly 50%. The announcement was based on several recent studies conducted in Africa. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Kirk Douglas’ Birthday Plea

Staff / Truthdig Dec 12, 2006 Acting legend Kirk Douglas turned 90 over the weekend and issued this birthday essay to commemorate the occasion, calling on the next generation to at least try to solve the world's problems. (h/t: Largest Minority) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Colbert on Christian Conservative Hypocrisy

Staff / Truthdig Dec 6, 2006 Stephen Colbert mocks the Christian Coalition's rejection of Joel Hunter (last week's Truthdigger of the Week) as its president. Hunter wanted to expand the group's agenda to address the AIDS epidemic and poverty -- issues the Christian conservatives thought would cause people to confuse them with liberals, or perhaps Jesus. Watch it Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

E.J. Dionne: Obama Wows the Religious Right

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Dec 6, 2006 Sen. Barack Obama's standing ovation at Pastor Rick Warren's church demonstrates why the Illinois senator is one of the hottest commodities in 2008 presidential politics. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: The Rev. Joel Hunter

Staff / Truthdig Dec 3, 2006 This week Truthdig salutes the Rev. Joel Hunter, who recently resigned as president of the Christian Coalition because the group was unwilling to accept his agenda on global warming, poverty and AIDS. While we don't endorse Hunter's stand on choice and gay marriage, we admire the consistency of his pro-life position. As the pastor himself says, "unless we are caring as much for the vulnerable outside the womb as inside the womb, we're not carrying out the full message of Jesus." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Jabari Asim: Overcoming the Stigma

Jabari Asim / Truthdig Nov 28, 2006 In advance of World AIDS Day, a new anthology confronts the stigma of HIV in the black community. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

U.N. Says 39.5 Million People Have HIV

Staff / Truthdig Nov 22, 2006 It's spreading fastest in Eastern and Central Asia and Eastern Europe, but almost two-thirds of the world's cases are in sub-Saharan Africa "AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria make up the deadliest triad the world has known," said the U . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

South Africa Revises AIDS Policy

Staff / Truthdig Oct 27, 2006 The South African government has traditionally taken a head-in-the-sand approach to AIDS, even though the nation is suffering one of the worst epidemics in the world. However, recent shifts in policy indicate a newfound interest in aggressively addressing the crisis. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gene Gerard: White House Failing America?s AIDS Crisis

Gene Gerard / Truthdig Jun 17, 2006 A new report shows that Bush has slashed anti-AIDS programs across the board. Meanwhile, he's pandering to the religious right by pushing abstinence-until-marriage programs--regardless of the fact that they are proven ineffective at stopping the spread of HIV. Don't bother Bush with facts; his mind is made up. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )