By Kyle Weisman, 7/12/07
Bush’s nomination of Dr. James
Holsinger as Surgeon General has been met with a barrage of criticism by
many groups including the American Public Heath
Association. The APHA said that it
is, “very concerned with Dr. Holsinger’s past writings regarding his views
of homosexuality, which put his political and religious ideology before
established medical science.”
This approach is in line with the Bush administrations
approach to certain vital issues in medicine such as Stem cell
research.
Dr. Holsinger wrote a paper entitled “Pathophysiology
of Male Homosexuality” in 1991. The Human Rights
Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force as well as other groups have
been opposed to Holsinger’s nomination for the position of Surgeon General due
to concerns that he will place his religious convictions regarding
homosexuality, as well as other issues considered controversial by the Church,
before his obligation under the Hippocratic oath.
Dr. Holsinger delivers a rather dry and seemingly out of
touch analysis of homosexual sex, and contrasts it with heterosexual sex. Fundamental in his analysis is the assumption
that sex is only for reproduction. There
by he concludes that anal sex is counterproductive.
Dr. Holsinger writes, “From the perspective
of pathology and pathophysiology, the varied sexual practices of homosexual men
have resulted in a diverse and expanded concept of sexually transmitted disease
and associated trauma.” This type of
mentality is typical of those that think that HIV is a homosexual disease. He then lists a long laundry list of sexually
transmitted diseases that he associates with the sexual activity of homosexuals
as if you could not get the same diseases anywhere else.
Dr. Holsinger writes, “A study of sexually transmitted diseases in heterosexuals, bisexuals and
homosexuals reported from Copenhagen
in 1988
(Christopherson), demonstrated
that the profile of diseases was strongly correlated to sexual lifestyle.” In other words, your sexual lifestyle
determines whether you get sexual diseases and which ones you get. Thank you Captain Obvious. What he does not realize is that any one who
practices safe sex, whatever their sexual orientation is, can live disease
free.
Part
of the job of the Surgeons General is to educate the public about vital health
issues, such as smoking, AIDS, obesity, Heart attacks, Strokes, and mental
health. How can Dr. Holsinger serve to educate the public on health issue on
which he clearly has a biased and prejudicial opinion?
In
related news, Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts,
and Representative Henry Waxman of California
requested that the Health and Human Services Secretary release documents
relating to Richard Carmona’s four year
term as the nation’s top doctor. Dr
Carmona served from 2002 until he left office last year. Cormona stated before a House panel that Bush
had, “engaged in political interference, muzzled him on numerous issues
including embryonic stem cell research, censored speeches and blocked reports.” (For more on Carmona’s telling testimony to Congress, read Former
Surgeon General Speaks Out Against Suppression of Science by Bush
Administration.)