Friday night, running late for a dinner party, I burst in and obnoxiously asked my hosts if I could turn on 20/20 for the big expose on the DC Madam. In retrospect I cannot imagine why in my wildest dreams I would have expected John Stossel, the 20/20 host known for his right wing punditry (and his unfortunate mustache) would deliver a cutting edge report that would bring down the halls of power.

The reporter, Brian Ross did allude to the hilarious irony of this case (for more on that see Jodi Jacobson's blog of last week) when he stated: "Most prominent of her customers was Deputy Secretary of State Randall Tobias, who was in charge of the Bush administration's efforts to crack down on prostitution worldwide." But besides this, and naming the guy who coined the phrase "Shock and Awe," it was ultimately a let down. And as my friends returned to their wine and discussion of Iraq and the Democratic debates, it occurred to me that I had begun engaging with this news piece in the same way I am delighting in Paris Hilton's imminent jail time, and it's unhealthy.

So I bring to you the voices of AIDS activists and leaders of AIDS service organizations around the world to tell you why we should revel in this scandal—not for the lurid details, but because Tobias is living proof that morality-driven policies (like abstinence only and the prostitution pledge) can't work, but they can kill.

I sent out a press release about Tobias' resignation and asked several of American Jewish World Service' grantees to comment. The email went to sex worker rights groups and several organizations that AJWS funds that are currently receiving USAID (United States Agency for International Development) or PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) money. Here is what some of them had to say:

I am fascinated by the whole story… As a comment I feel that something like this is inevitable. The Bush administration is pushing an agenda that is against human behavior. They cannot practice what they preach—mainly because it is ridiculous to believe that all individuals are always the same in their behavior. To try and regulate behavior through directive policy is a mistake. Every adult has the right to choose the behavior they desire. Some may choose no sex, some may not. Some people may engage sex workers, some may not. A moral stand condemning either is stupid.
–Meena Saraswathi Seshu

I do have a few comments, but not directly related to Mr. Tobias' resignation. And, since we are recipients of USAID funds … I do request anonymity … Since being informed of the success of our technical application (that's what they call the proposal) to PEPFAR, we have been working closely with the local USAID office to get our workplan into a form that the USAID Washington office will accept. Some of them are Americans, most of them are [from this country], and all with whom we have worked are very clear that without promoting the use of condoms as an alternative to abstinence, the AIDS pandemic will not be stopped. We have been advised by the local mission to write our work plan in such a way that Washington will accept it, manage our program as we have been doing, which is to say, teaching condoms as an alternative, and not mentioning it in our reports to Washington, or in our work plan. It's a silly and destructive game, and we play it, in order to receive the funding that we need to carry on.
-Anonymous

The Network of Sex Work Projects (AJWS grantees are members) sent out a press release on Tobias' resignation last week. This is an excerpt:

The proponents of the Anti-Prostitution Pledge claim that it will help in the fight against HIV/AIDS. However, sex workers are not the source of the HIV problem—instead, they are a key part of the solution. When they are empowered and their rights are protected, sex workers are able to insist on condom use and take on the role of sexual health educators and prevention advocates…The real human impact of the Anti-Prostitution Pledge is that people around the world are being denied the healthcare, rights, and services that they deserve:

• Brazil rejected approximately $40 million in USAID money because signing the Pledge would interfere with its successful anti-HIV/AIDS program;
• A class that taught English to sex workers in Cambodia had to seek new funding as a result of this policy;
  
• In Bangladesh, 16 drop-in centers lost funding when the agency that supported them signed the Pledge—the sex workers affected by this describe it as having lost their home, their family, and their sense of community and safety.

Check out the a short film produced by the Network of Sex Work Projects called "Taking the Pledge."

The U.S. government should listen to the voices of people fighting for their right to health in poor countries when they tell us that these policies are hurting, not helping. But listening to the needs of people they are trying to help is not a hallmark characteristic of this administration. So why not take the opportunity of Tobias' fall from grace (perfectly timed for the run-up to PEPFAR reauthorization) to get the voices of grassroots activists deeply engaged in the dialogue about how the rest of PEPFAR's 15 billion should be spent.