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Surgeon General Nominee Denies that He is Anti-Homosexual before Confirmation Hearing

By Elizabeth O'Brien

WASHINGTON, DC, July 12, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Before a Senate confirmation hearing today, Bush's nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. James Holsinger, responded to criticisms and allegations regarding his views on homosexuality and stated that he is not anti-homosexual, Reuters reports.

During the hearing, Holsinger said, "I can only say that I have a deep, deep appreciation for the essential humanity of everyone, regardless of their personal circumstances or their sexual orientation."

"Questions have been raised about my faith and about my commitment to the health and well-being of all Americans, including gay and lesbian Americans. He also told Senators that he was deeply distressed by these allegations, saying they do not "represent who I am, what I believe, or how I have practiced medicine for the past 40 years."

"Dr. Holsinger's paper is ideological and decidedly not an accurate analysis of the science then available on homosexuality," said Senator Edward Kennedy, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. "Dr. Holsinger's paper cherry picks and misuses data to support his thesis that homosexuality is unhealthy and unnatural."

During the 2 hour long Senate confirmation session today, Holsinger admitted his paper was out of date and stated, "I did not attempt to write a definitive scientific paper."  He stated, however, that he would rather resign than be forced to take a position that went against his conscience or was scientifically unsound.

When pressed to express his opinions on lifting funding limits for embryonic stem cell research, reports Reuters, Holsinger declined to comment, saying that he was not well informed enough. He did endorse condom use as "appropriate" along with abstinence.

Previous smearing of Holsinger for his position on homosexuality referred to a paper he wrote in 1991. Entitled "The Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality", it describes the complementarity of the male and female reproductive systems and notes the diseases and trauma associated with homosexual acts. After the paper was discovered, Holsinger underwent a storm of criticism and opposition to his position as Bush's Surgeon General Nominee.

In early June, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) announced its opposition when Matt Foreman, NGLTF Executive Director, accused Bush of "elevating ideology over public policy" and "throwing red meat to its ravenous anti-gay supporters." More recently, the American Public Health Association (APHA) expressed its official disapproval of Holsinger in a letter to Senator Kennedy. The APHA stated that his past writings on homosexuality put, "his political and religious ideology before established medical science."

Read previous LifeSiteNews coverage:
Bush's Choice for Surgeon Gen. Said Homosexual Practices "Unnatural and Unhealthy"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jun/07060802.html

Read Dr. Holsinger's paper here:
http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/Holsinger_on_Homosexuality.pdf

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