W. House Declines to Back Surgeon General Report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House refused to voice confidence in Surgeon General David Satcher on Friday after he stressed the need for thorough sex education at home and school focusing on contraception as well abstinence.

Asked if Satcher, a Clinton administration appointee, had President Bush (news - web sites)'s full support, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) replied: ``I'm not going to speculate about personnel. That's as far as I'm going to go on that question.''

Aiming to promote sexual health, the nation's highest ranking doctor released a ``call to action'' on Thursday that emphasized wide-ranging education about sex and endorsed the distribution of condoms and other forms of contraception in the community, saying there was not enough scientific data to conclude that ``abstinence only'' worked.

``We face a serious public health challenge regarding the sexual health of our nation,'' Satcher said. ``Doing nothing is unacceptable.''

The 27-page report recognized that ``parents are the child's primary educators and should guide a child's sexuality education in a way that is consistent with their values and beliefs'' but also said schools, houses of worship and other community agencies also should play a role.

Satcher called for tolerance of homosexuality saying there was no evidence to date that sexual orientation could be changed. He repeatedly endorsed abstinence until a person becomes involved in a stable, monogamous relationship, but did not limit that to marriage.

Fleischer said Bush had not read the full report but was aware of its contents.

``The president understands the report was released by a surgeon general he did not appoint, a surgeon general that was appointed by the previous administration,'' he told reporters.

Bush believed ``the only sure fire way'' to prevent pregnancy was through abstinence, Fleischer said.

A coalition of 11 conservative organizations, including Colorado-based Focus on the Family, denounced Satcher's report as ''bad medicine,'' saying his comments on abstinence did not go far enough.

``As chief medical officer of the United States, Dr. Satcher has an obligation to tell the truth about the risks of sex outside of marriage. Instead, he has painted an unrealistic picture that seems more geared toward achieving political correctness than educating Americans about the health risks of these behaviors,'' the groups said in a statement.

Satcher's report was commissioned by the Clinton administration. His appointment expires in 2002.