The Clinton Administration this month will unveil a national AIDS-prevention advertising campaign directed at young people that will talk about both condoms and sexual abstinence.
Although officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who are scheduled to announce the campaign Dec. 21, would not provide details about the content of the ads, a spokesman confirmed that condoms would be included.
Kristine Gebbie, the President’s national AIDS-policy coordinator, earlier this month told reporters about the program, which will feature posters and pamphlets, and television, radio, and print ads.
The campaign is said to represent a marked departure from the AIDS-prevention approach of the Bush and Reagan administrations.
In an interview after a speech at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ms. Gebbie said, “This is the first time you’ll see a condom in a federally produced [public-service announcement],’' according to a Knight-Ridder report. The ads “will be very different than anything you’ve seen before. They reflect the changes we’re going through here,’' she said.
Last week, however, sources in her office said they were told not to talk about the details of the campaign, apparently to avoid any pre-emptive outcry from conservative groups.
Brenda Green, the manager of the National School Boards Association’s H.I.V.- and AIDS-education project, who has heard versions of the radio ads, said they suggest that the C.D.C. finally has made a commitment to support condom use.
She also said the ads seemed to use more specific language than those in other campaigns, and were more suited to the age group--people under 25--to which they are directed.
“They’re really looking at a more targeted campaign, that’s not so general ... [and is] trying to reach young people in their own vernacular,’' Ms. Green said.--SARA SKLAROFF
