Contact: Natalie Bell, Concerned Women for America, 202-488-7000, ext. 126

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 /Standard Newswire/ -- A new report claims that HIV/AIDS in the District of Columbia is a "modern epidemic" and its author is quoted saying that officials "have the imperative" to address all aspects of the epidemic.  Mayor Adrian M. Fenty is quoted saying that the epidemic must be addressed with a "sense of urgency." 

The District has the worst AIDS rate of any city in America -- twice the rate of New York and four times the rate of Detroit.  Previous data indicates that one in 20 D.C. residents is thought to have HIV and one in 50, AIDS.

Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, Director and Senior Fellow of the Beverly LaHaye Institute (the think tank for Concerned Women for America), said, "The information in the report is being presented as evidence that everyone can get HIV/AIDS, yet evidence is overwhelming that homosexual sex and IV drug use are sources of the virus. Obviously, after 25 years promiscuous individuals are bringing the virus to the heterosexual community, but it is a disservice to the public to use such scare tactics."

Crouse added, "We owe it to the public to stress that promiscuity is the basic problem. We must teach our children that the healthy way of life is abstinence prior to marriage and fidelity within marriage.  We must create a new cultural environment where adults are encouraged to treat sex with the respect that it deserves; sleeping around is not just foolish, it is also dangerous."

Concerned Women for America is the nation's largest public policy women's organization.