U.S. Ordered to Halt Linking Aid to Anti-Prostitution Oath [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Inter Press Service News Agency

U.S. Ordered to Halt Linking Aid to Anti-Prostitution Oath
By Carey L. Biron

WASHINGTON, Jun 20 2013 (IPS) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a decade-long practise under which the government linked global HIV/AIDS funding to a controversial requirement that organisations explicitly state their opposition to prostitution.

The court’s decision to overturn the mandate surprised many observers, with the 6-2 ruling now being lauded as a major victory by a broad coalition of global health, women’s rights and free speech advocacy groups.

~ snip ~
Thursday’s court decision hinges on a view of the anti-prostitution oath as infringing on free speech, as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution’s first amendment.

“The [oath] requirement mandates that recipients of federal funds explicitly agree with the Government’s policy to oppose prostitution,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority. “The First Amendment, however, ‘prohibits the government from telling people what they must say.



Read more: http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/06/u-s-ordered-to-halt-linking-aid-to-anti-prostitution-oath/