Gere Critical of US policy on AIDS

Hollywood “A” List star Richard Gere has launched a scathing attack on American President George W Bush criticising the administrations attitude to sex education.The actor a passionate supporter of a number of high profile causes was speaking to an audience at the 15th International Aids conference in Bankok, after visiting India the previous week with his younger brother David to highlight the Aids epidemic.Gere took the opportunity to attack Bush's unrealistic approach to sex education after the president proposed in the 2005 budget that $270m should be put into funding programs which dissuade teenagers from having sex.During his time as Governor of Texas from 1995 until 2000, the now President Bush ensured sex education in schools taught that abstinence was the only way to protect teens from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and pregnancy.Since Bush's abstinence only policy came into force, Texas' teen pregnancy rate - one of the highest in America - has remained the same, while the amount of STDs amongst Texan youths has risen, the star feels that it is as a result of these policies. The Hollywood heart throb strongly believes that AIDS is the most important single issue the planet currently faces. The administration in the US should start to bring some sanity on this subject.Gere was also quoted as saying that the billions of dollars spent on the Iraq campaign, "probably could have eradicated this illness.