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Return-path: <[log in to unmask]> From: [log in to unmask] Full-name: Annie ann 12345 Message-ID: <[log in to unmask]> Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 15:03:25 EDT Subject: Re: WASHINGTON: Lawmakers Assail NIH Funding For Sexual-Arousal Conference To: [log in to unmask] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 123 After reading this article from the Washington Times, printed June 24, I am outraged and taking action. For those who are not familiar with the subject, I will try to explain briefly that it concerns NIH funding of a sex study where $147,000 of taxpayer's dollars were spent for a Northwestern University study in which women were paid to view pornography while using an instrument called a plethysmograph to measure their sexual response. This study is being followed up by the NIH granting another $26,000 of taxpayer money to fund a conference on sexual arousal next month at the Kinsey Institute in Bloominton, Ind. Representative Jeff Flake of Arizona and Dave Weldon of Florida are two members of congress who have picked up on this issue and are demanding an explanation from the NIH Director Dr. Elias Adam Zerhouni for what they call a "bizarre spending decision." When every penny of taxpayer money is so urgently needed for research to find cures for the many devastating diseases that ravage the citizens of this nation it is an outrage to find that our dollars are being spent on such debauchery. The NIH grant-review process is clearly broken and we need to work to fix it. I am making my calls to the NIH with the intention of letting my voice be heard on this issue and to let them know that this is unacceptable. I will be getting some callbacks from a couple of parties who represent the NIH stand on this issue...One of whom is George Gaines (Public Liaison with the NIH) and another from Robert Bock. I will keep the Forum posted on the developments as I learn more. In the meantime, keep in mind that it is important to all of us that the money that goes to Washington be spent in the most effective manner and on the most serious health issues that this country faces. To learn that it is being used to pay women to watch pornography and fund a conference to tell everyone the obvious while funding for serious health issues goes lagging should be an outrage to us all. We need to let it be known that this will not be tolerated. Dee ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn