Women's groups give Bush a failing grade on HIV

Several women's advocacy groups on Tuesday released the first in a series of Global Women's Issues Scorecards on the Bush administration's efforts on international women's rights and health concerns, giving failing grades to the Administration regarding its HIV/AIDS policies. The Center for Health and Gender Equity, the Feminist Majority Foundation, and the Women's Environment and Development Organization compared the "reality" and the "rhetoric" of the Administration's responses to the global AIDS pandemic. The groups gave the White House a B for rhetoric on the global HIV/AIDS initiative, a D for international family planning rhetoric, and an F for the reality of both efforts. "President Bush and members of his administration have sought to promote themselves as compassionate conservatives in part by speaking out on urgent global issues, such as the global AIDS epidemic," said Jodi Jacobson, executive director of CHANGE. "But as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. And in this regard, women throughout the world will find little to celebrate in this administration's policies to date."