Both the members of Congress and the lone public health researcher who spoke in support of abstinence-only at the recent Congressional hearing were scrambling for evidence.

The current politicization of HIV prevention by the US Administration and its favored groups here at home and around the globe, remains the largest single threat to curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Last night, I spent the evening doing what every Washington ideologue who supports the "prostitution pledge" should be required to do--I walked through a community called Kafue, in Zambia.

The future of federal funding for abstinence-only education.

Last week, the Irish Family Planning Association held that country's first ever Young Decision Makers' conference to scale up advocacy for sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The recent report from the Administration for Children and Families defends abstinence-only programs by attacking comprehensive sexuality education.

The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. releases a report today on PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) policies and how they're affecting efforts in Vietnam.

The 1st World Congress for Sexual Health was held in Australia last week, with a name change and an expanded mission that has public policy and advocacy at its heart.

William Smith is Vice President for Public Policy at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States.

I remember being with several colleagues in 2002 preparing for a hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives. About ten minutes before the hearing was supposed to start, a knock at the door of a small office in which we had huddled brought an interim report from Mathematica Policy Research. Mathematica had been funded by the federal government to conduct an entirely voluntary evaluation of programs receiving funding under Title V. The hearing was centered on the reauthorization of the Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage program which delivers $50 million in federal funds each year to states. Of course, we thought the timing was highly suspect to say the least, but this interim report (PDF) said nothing of import. It reported out on a great deal of process but included no data whatsoever on behavioral impacts.

William Smith is Vice President for Public Policy at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States.

This is a weird blog for me. I usually indulge in the policy wonkiness that folks like me thrive on here in Washington, DC. And while I love the work I get to do on sexual and reproductive health and rights, the theatre has become another of my great loves. My partner opened up this world for me as he is an award winning local actor and musical theatre performer in Washington. We also indulge in frequent New York weekends that are a volleyball match between theaters and restaurants followed by much needed sleep on Amtrak on the trip back home.

Our most recent trip to New York was memorable as work and private life melded into enjoying what critics have hailed as the best new musical to hit Broadway in a long time. For me, I can explain it best as sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) on Broadway, and in particular, the most forthright and unapologetic defense of adolescent sexual health and rights I've ever seen as a form of entertainment.

Watch the video!