LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

This AlterNet article by Esther Kaplan talks about how religious morality is killing people.

Since George W. Bush's first day in office, Republicans in Washington have come up with creative ways to attach puritanical restrictions to U.S. foreign aid, often at a tremendous cost to public health.

First came Bush's revival of Reagan's Mexico City Policy, which canceled funds for any family planning organization that advocates for abortion rights, a measure that pulled tens of millions of dollars from International Planned Parenthood and others on the far right's enemies list. Then came a State Department missive to USAID missions that all funded programs, publications, even websites had to fall in line with Bush's social conservative worldview on everything from abortion to drug use. Then Congress used the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, to set aside $1 billion for abstinence-only education, which bars discussion of condoms and safer sex. Most recently, Republican congressmen introduced a series of anti-prostitution loyalty oaths, requiring any organization receiving U.S. funds to combat AIDS or human trafficking to condemn prostitution in word and in deed.