Neil Cavuto and I discussed research studies which are funded by the stimulus package, and we unintentionally wore matching outfits. For more on the topic (stimulus funding, not our outfits) please read my blog post from yesterday.
I will be appearing on Neil Cavuto’s Your World on The Fox News Channel today to discuss whether it is appropriate for our government to fund this research.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) released a list of over 6,000 studies it will be supporting with funds from the stimulus package, also known as the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). While the vast majority of the research is related to neuroscience, genetics, or diseases such as cancer, tuberculosis, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis, there are a handful of funded scientific studies that involve sexuality.
This set off alarms for some, including the New York Post where yesterday an article declared, “The next fiscal year is set to be one of the friskiest ever in the nation’s science labs, as researchers probe the ins and outs of sex patterns among humans.” In Central New York’s Post-Standard, Tory Mazzola, spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, was quoted as saying that funding research is an inappropriate use of the stimulus funds: “Because stimulus was sold as a new investment in infrastructure. It was sold as job creating. It was sold as a new way forward for America.”
On the surface it may seem shocking to some people if our tax dollars are paying for “sex” research. Others believe that we should not discount scientific freedom, intellectual curiosity, and the fact that sexuality is a vitally important aspect of being human. Yet when we look further we see that this research is not sexy at all. All of the NIH approved studies include a statement of the public health implications, and all of these statements are available to the public on the NIH website. Most involve work about HIV/AIDS.
Today, I was on Your World with Neil Cavuto. We were discussing “Getting Through Tough Economic Times” a new web page posted by SAMHSA, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services. The web page has some great resources for people who are coping with stress or depression because of the economic crisis. Also, this organization oversees the free 24 hour suicide hotline, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK.
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