$15bn Aids bill pushes for sexual abstinence

Supporters of President George Bush have forced the introduction of clauses insisting on a greater role for sexual abstinence into legislation that would massively increase the US contribution to the global fight against Aids.

The measure, which the Republican-dominated House passed and which must now be reconciled with a version due before the Senate next week, is essentially a compromise. Conservatives believed the $15bn (£9bn) five-year programme should place greater overriding emphasis on abstinence while Democrats sought to keep such controversial topics out of the bill, in the interests of getting the money to where it is needed as fast as possible.

In the end however, Congressman Tom Lantos, from California, the senior Democrat on the House International Relations Committee which wrote the bill, said he had no choice but to accept two amendments presented by conservatives.

One ensures that religious groups have access to funds, even if they disagree with clauses in the legislation providing for the greater use of condoms. The other stipulates that one-third of the funds should be used for promoting abstinence.

But Democrats accepted the amendments, arguing that they did not contradict the guiding "ABC" principle behind the measure. It was modelled on a policy applied with some success in Uganda, which listed the three goals of "abstinence, being faithful and condoms".

The Bush adminstration's Office of National Aids Policy said the funds would go towards improving healthcare infrastructures, including laboratories, specialised doctors and nurses. Critics said the money was being shifted from existing programmes, and would not aid poorer countries in central Europe and Asia.