VOTE NO ON FOSTER; STOP THE SHORTCUTS APPROACH, SAYS

WASHINGTON, May 24, 1995 -- The following was released by the Family Research 
Council:

"Dr. Henry Foster's career has been marked by the shortcuts approach to 
health.  Instead of working consistently for the best goal, he has advocated 
quick fixes, like abortion over abstinence," Family Research Council President 
Gary Bauer said Wednesday.  "America's Surgeon General should be working for 
our long term goals, not sweeping unhealthy behaviors and health risks under 
the rug of condom hand-outs and value-- free sex education.  We are urging the 
Labor and Human Resources committee to vote 'No' on Dr. Henry Foster's 
nomination to the post of U.S. Surgeon General."


ON ABSTINENCE: 

"Dr. Foster's 'I Have a Future' program gives abstinence all the notice a 
semi-truck gives to a speed bump," Bauer said.

Without a mention, except in literature printed after the announcement of his 
pending nomination, abstinence is ignored in the "I Have a Future" program.  
And the data available on the program matches data from similar condom-based 
approaches which show that sexual activity rates often rise.  Bauer noted, "We 
cannot pretend that it doesn't matter what our children do in the bedroom as 
long as they are 'properly' dressed.  Early sex is disastrous for our 
children, and as a society we must be committed to teaching them how to 
survive successfully."

Senator Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS) offered a letter during the May 2 hearing from 
Dr. Lorraine Greene of "I Have a Future" to the Carnegie Corporation.  Dr. 
Greene wrote, "There were no significant differences (in sexual activity 
statistics) between teens in the program and those outside of it."

In fact, Senator Kassebaum noted that the reason the program was being 
examined in the hearing was "to look at the bottom line of your own research 
and what that showed, and what at that point, when I think it was clear in an 
evaluation was made in 1992, that there were difficulties.  And, one, what it 
showed was the dropout rate in the program was at least 47.6 percent.  It was 
a high dropout rate."


ON PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN SURGERY AND CONTRACEPTIVE DECISIONS:

Dr. Foster has been working against parental involvement during his career 
despite overwhelming evidence that parental involvement is the best indicator 
of a child's later success, Bauer noted.

While in Tennessee, Foster outlined a strategy for attacking parental 
involvement in abortion surgery decisions -- even with judicial bypass.  And 
his activism includes ignoring parents' wishes when it comes to distribution 
of contraceptives.


From the May 2 hearing:

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD): "Dr. Foster, do you think also that abortion 
for a teenage girl required parental consent or parental involvement?"

Dr. Foster: "I do not.  I do not ... "

In fact, Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI) cited a 1984 speech Dr. Foster 
delivered to a Tennessee Planned Parenthood group in which he discussed 
abortion and birth control and their implications for "our movement."  From 
the speech, "Without question, as an organization, we must commit a major 
portion of our energies to assuring abortion availability to those 
unsuccessful with contraception ... Although we have had some recent successes 
in assuring the continuation of the option of abortion access for American 
women, by no means can we be less vigilant in our efforts.  It has long been 
my feeling that as an organization, our greatest utility lies in our advocacy 
role ... We, in the movement, must work to prevent the erection of such 
barriers to late abortion access."

Senator Abraham noted that the Planned Parenthood speech "sounds like somebody 
who wants them (abortion restrictions) invalidated."

Dr. Foster: "Yes, I know I sound ambivalent, because I am ambivalent ... "

ON CREDIBILITY: 

"Americans need a Surgeon General they can trust and rely on," Bauer said.  
"But the Foster nomination has been one long shell game of switched numbers 
and missing records."

Dr. Foster's misstatements have involved everything from his ambiguous 
abortion record to whether he had been sued for malpractice. Currently the 
issue is possible misrepresentation of his "I Have a Future" data presented 
during the Senate hearing.

During the Committee hearings, senators repeatedly noted that the White House 
was not forthcoming about Dr. Foster's background and programs.  Dr. Foster 
often said the misstatements were the result of a bad memory or hurrying to 
answer.  And he repeatedly promised to check on the missing records.  Bauer 
noted, "Washington is a fast-paced city. For the sake of our children, our 
elected officials must know that they are getting accurate information when 
they need it."

From the hearing, May 3, Senator Dan Coats (R-IN): "My question really goes to 
the suit (filed October 5, 1984).  I wonder why did you volunteer to me that 
you had never been sued when the record shows that you had?"

Dr. Foster: "I just misinterpreted being sued ... "

Senator John Ashcroft (R-MO): "So in terms of the ability of the committee to 
make judgments about the kinds of materials you provided for use in the 
program, it is very difficult to us to rely on documents that were ordered a 
month after your nomination to the job of Surgeon General of the United States 
which had not been published, at least by this company, in any prior year and 
which we only got yesterday."

ON STERILIZING MENTALLY RETARDED WOMEN:  

"The records available on our national understanding of the morality of 
sterilizing healthy people seem to indicate that once again Dr. Foster chose 
the route of controversy," Bauer said.

Consider the facts as presented by Senator Coats during the hearing. In 1974, 
Dr. Foster said in a speech to the National Medical Association that "Recently 
I have begun to use hysterectomies in patients with severe mental retardation."

Coats noted, "The White House argued that this practice of involuntary 
sterilization of the mentally retarded for the purposes of family planning or 
hygiene was, quote, 'in the mainstream of medicine at the time.'  Yet, in May 
l971, the Office of Economic Opportunity drafted guidelines that emphasized 
that sterilization, quote, 'must be strictly voluntary and extend only to the 
legally competent.' In September 1973, the Department of Health, Education and 
Welfare published preliminary regulations that would ban the use of federal 
funds for involuntary sterilization's without judicial review.  In December of 
that year, 1973, the Supreme Court determined that it was unconstitutional to 
involuntarily sterilize mentally retarded inmates.

In February 1974, the federal government published final regulations banning 
the use of federal Funds to involuntarily sterilize the mentally incompetent, 
unless an independent review committee approves and a, quote, 'court of 
competent jurisdiction has determined that the proposed sterilization is in 
the best interest of the patient.' In March of 1974, the Supreme Court 
determined that it was unconstitutional to sterilize a minor without parental 
consent -- all this prior to Dr. Foster's statement and in direct 
contradiction to the White House characterization of this practice as 
mainstream medicine."

However, when asked about this same issue again by Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH), 
Dr. Foster replied, "Senator, I can tell you that that was the standard of 
care that was provided."

Bauer said, "The standard of care in America should not be what is easiest, 
but what is best.  This decision to sterilize women because it was easier for 
some caretakers and allowed by a few on the fringe of medicine is very 
troubling."

ON RESEARCH ON SICKLE CELL ANEMIA: 

"Dr. Foster's involvement in the most divisive ethical issues of our day 
continues to be troubling," Bauer said, "and has implications for current 
debates, such as fetal tissue research."

He noted that the controversial 700 abortions and amniocentesis figure came in 
the context of a discussion in a Health, Education, and Welfare advisory board 
hearing on using the pre-born scheduled for abortion for research purposes 
first.

ON A 24-HOUR WAITING PERIOD FOR ABORTION SURGERY: 

"With most surgical procedures, Americans are advised to get all the 
information they can and consider all the alternatives.  It seems strange that 
Dr. Foster does not take that approach with abortion surgery," Bauer said.  He 
noted that Dr. Foster testified that delaying abortion surgery for even 24 
hours could cause "medical damage" of unnamed kind.

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