Bush surgeon general nominee denies he's anti-gay
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush's surgeon general nominee disputed critics' claims that he holds "anti-gay" views and told senators on Thursday he would quit before bowing to political interference in his job.
"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," Dr. James Holsinger testified during his two-hour confirmation hearing.
Holsinger also said he favors banning drug companies from advertising prescription medications on television, saying it puts undue pressure on doctors to prescribe particular pills.
He also said he would support banning TV, and radio and newspaper advertising of "junk food" aimed at children.
Holsinger, chosen by Bush in May to be the nation's top doctor, testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which considers his nomination before any vote by the full Senate.
Just two days earlier, the first surgeon general appointed by Bush, Dr. Richard Carmona, accused the administration of preventing him from speaking out on stem cell research and other controversial issues, censoring speeches and blocking reports on ideological and political grounds.
Gay rights groups oppose Holsinger, citing a 1991 document he wrote titled "Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality."
Written to a United Methodist Church panel studying homosexuality, Holsinger offered exhaustive anatomical details to describe anal sex as unnatural.
"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," Holsinger told senators.
Holsinger said he was deeply troubled 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."
CHERRY PICKING
But Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, the committee's chairman, said, "Dr. Holsinger's paper cherry-picks and misuses data to support his thesis that homosexuality is unhealthy and unnatural."
"I did not attempt to write a definitive scientific paper," Holsinger responded, admitting its contents were now outdated.
Saying Holsinger would focus on childhood obesity, Bush nominated him on May 24 to replace Carmona, who ended a four-year stint last year without a replacement named.
Holsinger testified he would resign if political appointees within the administration tried to force him not to release a report he felt was important or take a position that was morally or scientifically wrong.
Kennedy said he introduced a bill on Thursday to protect surgeons general from political interference, giving the post greater independence and requiring that the job go to a person drawn from a list compiled by the independent Institute of Medicine.
Pressed by Kennedy to say if lifting Bush's limits on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research would boost scientific discovery in the field, Holsinger said he was not well enough informed on the subject to offer an opinion.
Holsinger advocated condom use to block unwanted pregnancy as an "appropriate" approach, along with abstinence. The administration has supported "abstinence-only" sex education.
Holsinger, a cardiologist, has served as Kentucky state health chief and served three decades in the Army Reserve.
Maryland Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski criticized him over past stances he took at the Veterans Affairs Department, saying he resisted changes intended to improve treatment of women veterans and stop sexual harassment of women.
