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6-22-95 Dr. Henry Foster Statement (and Op-Ed) Edison, NJ [1]
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�STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON
THE SECOND SENATE VOTE
ON SURGEON GENERAL NOMINEE, DR. HENRY FOSTER
JUNE 22, 1995
l~. D~
~~...,~~~~~4.~ ~-t
For the second day in a row, 43 Senators have failed to do what
~
the people of America sent them to Washington to do -- vote yea
.,... f •
or nay on an issue of importance to this country. They have
~
allowed the nomination of Dr. Henry Foster to be held hostage to 1:
opponents of a woman's right to choose. These Senators have
~ •f
abdicated their responsibilities. They have done a great harm to ~
·a,~n~~~~~~ .wi._ _w~
.
~e
~art
throu~w~ ~
1
American people are
enough to see
~:ppened. They know that this is not about my right to nominate ~
a new Surgeon General.
It is about the right of a woman to
~
choose.. A woman's right to choose is the law of the land.
It is~ ·
time for those Senators to break free of the anti-aborti~
· . ·
stranglehold that has led to this travesty;
v-~~~-~~
~1\
It is wrong that a man as qualified and as committed as Dr.
Foster was denied this chance to serve his country. Dr. Foster~
•
has gone where too few of us have gone to help people. He has
~
ridden the rickety elevators in high rise projects to talk with
.
kids about abstinence. He has traveled the back roads of rural
Alabama, brtnging health care and hope to women and young people ~
who rarely saw a doctor. He has actually done something about
the problems we always talk about in Washington: teen pregnancy,
women's health, crime prevention, and help for our youth.
I was impressed with Dr. Foster when I first met him, and I am
even more impressed·with him today. He has weathered this storm
with dignity and grace. There is no bitterness in him. And if I
have anything to say about it, he will have his chance at
service.
I want to find a way to use his talents and conviction
as we pursue solutions to the vexing problems our young people
face.
The Senate may have denied him this job, but we must not
let the Senate deny us the benefit of:his service.
Today was a dark day for the United States Senate. Dr. Foster
deserved an up or down vote. Those who denied him have shown a
lack of leadership that will surely be remembered.
�STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT WILLIAM JEFFERSON' CLINTON
THE SENATE VOTE ON SURGEON GENERAL NOMINEE, HENRY FOSTER
THE WHITE HOUSE
JUNE 21, 1995
I have just met with a group of Republican Senators to urge
them to allow a simple up or down vote on the nomination of Dr.
Henry Foster. After more than four months of exhaustive scrutiny
and debate, Dr. Foster and the American people deserve a decision
-- not more delay.
Dr. Foster has met with Senators. He's
answered their questions, both privately and in a hearing
witnessed by the entire country. He has played by the rules.
Now it's time for the Senate to do the same. They've heard the
testimony, studied the record, and now they must act. Henry
Foster deserves a vote -- up or down.
Fair is fair.
No games.
No filibuster.
·
All I have heard and seen these past four months strengthens my
support for this remarkable man.
Dr. Foster has spent 38 years
in medicine -- much of it working to improve the health of women
and children in poor and rural areas where a good doctor is hard
to find.
He has delivered thousands of babies and trained
hundreds of young doctors.
"I Have a Future," his program to
address America's teen pregnancy problem, was named one of
America's "Thousand Points of Light" by President George Bush in
1992.
Henry Foster is imminently qualified to be America's doctor.
I
appeal to the Senate to do the fair thing. Vote to end debate
and then Note to make Dr. Henry Foster the next Surgeon General
of the United States.
Thank you.
�New York Times Op-Ed
By Dr. Henry Foster
My father used to tell me, "Son,
when one door is closed, another
one opens." That is my personal
postscript to the events of this
past week. The question I have been
asked most often since 43 Senators
twice voted to block a full vote on
my nomination to be surg~on general
is, "Are you bitter?" And my
answer is always the same, "No."
That's not to say that the attacks
on my character weren't pretty hard
to take. People and publications,
including this newspaper, who
didn't know me from Adam, jumped on
a few misstatements I made, and
inferred from them that I was some
kind of shady character.
All this, of course, was news to me
and the people who have known me
all my life. In 38 years of
professional service, as a doctor,
teacher, mentor, and administrator,
never once has my credibility been
an issue. [is this true?] In fact,·
I am proud that I was one of the
youngest people ever to be made a
member of the Institute of Medicine
at the National Academy of
Sciences. I am currently serving my
second term on the Ethics Committee
of the Nashville Academy of
Medicine.
During the early days of the media
barrage following my nomination, I
may have misspoken, but I never
deceived. Where I come from, a man
is given the benefit of ·the doubt.
But in Washington a simple slip of
memory can be fatal, so I've
learned.
It was news to me, too, that I was
defined solely by the issue of
abortion. Within 72 hours of my
nomination by President Clinton
back in XX, anti-choice groups were
mobilizing to oppose me simply on
�the grounds of my support of a
woman's right to choose.
Let me be clear: I abhor abortion.
It is certainly true that I have
performed XX safe, legal abortions
for desperate women. But it is also
true that through my programs I
have prevented tens of thousands of
abortions from happening in the
first place. I have done my level
best to show young women a way to
redeem their own futures.
I also found the politicization of
the nomination deeply disturbing. I
accepted President Clinton's
nomination for one simple reason -I wanted to build on the work I've
been doing on the frontlines of
medicine for years. I wanted to
help improve the health of millions
of women, children, and young
people in this country who are
suffering simply because of a lack
of education and access to care.
Some in the Senate, though, didn't
seem particularly interested in
this debate. My nomination
degenerated into an arm wrestling
match between two men who believe
that the only way they can be
President is to show the antichoice movement how tough they are.
It is an interesting comment on
politics and the media that the
crowned winners of this process are
the politicians who made the
wiliest use of Senate rules. I was
hoping that the victors might
instead be the millions of
Americans who need a Surgeon
General to speak out on ways to
stop the spread of AIDS, drug
abuse, heart disease, and teen
pregnancy.
So, things didn't turn out quite
the way I hoped. But make no
mistake: my faith in the system and
the honor of public service is as
strong as ever. As a child, I
�remember we always had a copy of
the Constitution in our home. My
father often told me that my
freedom and justice were locked
inside the Constitution
and that.
the key to unlocking it is an
educated mind.
I still have faith in those words
and in this country. That's why I
am proud to accept the President's
offer to help lead a national
campaign to curb the epidemic of
teen pregnancy that is destroying
so many lives. Every day, 8,400
·teenagers become sexually active.
And every day, almost 3,000
teenagers get pregnant. In 1990,
more than one million girls between
the ages of 15 and 19 became
pregnant.
We know that children born to
teenagers are more likely to have
serious health problems. They are
also more likely to be reared in
disadvantaged surroundings. About
80 percent of children born to
teenage parents who dropped out of
school now live in poverty.
If we want to prevent teen
pregnancy, and reduce the number of
abortions in this country, we must
start at the source. We must
provide our young people with
quality education, comprehensive
health services, enhanced selfesteem and life options. As the
President likes to say, "We must
give them something to say yes to."
That is what we are doing in the "I
Have a Future" program, which I
started at Meharry College back in
1987. The program is so successful
that it was recognized as one of
President Bush's "Thousand Points
of Light" in 1992.
Preventing teen pregnancy was. go~ng
to be the focal point of my work as
Surgeon General. The President has
offered me another platform from
which to pursue this mission, and I
�am honored to accept. But I don't
have all the answers. This effort
will require broad, bipartisan,
grassroots participation. Another
door has opened. Let's walk through
it together ..
endit
.. ~- ~ ---· .,._
··-~
-:-· ... ··-
-·· ---· . ----- -·. .
.. .. --~·-·· -~ ··- -··-· ~................... ----
�.....
'
New York Times Op-Ed
By Dr. Henry Foster
My father used to tell me, 11 Son,
when one door is closed, another
.one opens. 11 That is my personal
postscript to the events of this
past week. The question I have been
asked most often since 43 Senators
twice voted to block a full vote on
my nomination to be surgeon general
is, 11 Are you bitter? 11 And my
answer is always the same, 11 No. 11
That's not to say that the attacks
on my character weren't pretty hard·
to take. People and publications,
including this newspaper, who
didn't know me from Adam, jumped on
a few misstatements I made, and
inferred from them that I was some
kind of shady character.
All this, of course, was news to me
and the people who have known me
all my life. In 38 years of
professional service, as a doctor,
teacher, mentor, and administrator,
never once has my credibility been
an issue. [is this true?] In fact,
I am proud that I was one of the
youngest people ever to be made a
member of the Institute of Medicine
at the National Academy of
Sciences. I am currently serving my
second term on the Ethics Committee
of the Nashville Academy of
Medicine.
During the early days of the media
barrage following my nomination, I
may have misspoken, but I never
deceived. Where I come from, a man
is given the benefit of the doubt.
But in Washington a simple slip of
memory can be fatal, so I've
learned.
It was news to me, too, that I was
defined solely by the issue of
abortion. Within 72 hours of my
nomination by President Clinton
back in XX, anti-choice groups were
mobilizing to oppose me simply on
�the grounds of my support of a
woman's right to choose.
Let me be clear:. I abhor abortion.
It is certainly true that I have
performed XX safe, legal abortions
for desperate women. But it is also
true that through my programs I
have prevented tens of thousands of
abortions from happening in the
first place. I have done my level
best to show young women a way to
redeem their own futures.
I also found the politicization of
the nomination deeply disturbing. I
accepted President Clinton's
nomination for one simple reason -I wanted to build on the work I've
been doing on the frontlines of
medicine for years. I wanted to
help improve the health of millions
of women, children, and young
people in this country who are
suffering simply because of a lack
of education and access to care.
Some in the Senate, though, didn't
seem particularly interested in
this debate. My nomination
degenerated into an arm wrestling
match between two men who believe
that the only way they can be
President is to show the antichoice movement how tough they are.
It is an interesting comment on
politics and the media that the
crowned winners of this process are
the politicians who made the ·
wiliest use of Senate rules. I was
hoping that the victors might
instead be the millions of
Americans who need a Surgeon
General to speak out on ways to
stop the spread of AIDS, drug
abuse, heart disease, and teen
pregnancy.
So, things didn't turn out quite
the way I hoped. But make no
mistake: my faith in the system and
the honor of public service is as
strong as ever. As a child, I
.5·.••v.t....,..•
,'\~~~
�--------------
remember we always had a copy of
the Constitution in our home. My
father often told me that my
freedom and justice were locked
inside the Constitution
and that
the key to unlocking it is an
educated mind.
I still have faith in those words
and in this country. That's why I
am proud to accept the President's
offer to help lead a national
campaign to curb the epidemic of
teen pregnancy that is destroying
so many lives. Every day, 8,400
teenagers become sexually active.
And every day, almost 3,000
teenagers get pregnant. In 1990,
more than one million girls between
the ages of 15 and 19 became
pregnant.
We know that children born to
teenagers are more likely to have
serious health problems. They are
also more likely to be reared in
disadvantaged surroundings. About
80 percent of children born to
teenage parents who dropped out of
school now live in poverty.
If we want to prevent teen
pregnancy, and reduce the number of
abortions in this country, we must
start at the source. We must
provide our young people with
quality education, comprehensive
health services, enhanced selfesteem and life options. As the
President likes to say, "We must
give them something to say yes to."
That is what we are doing in the "I
Have a Future" program, which I
started at Meharry College back in
1987. The program is so successful
that it was recognized as one of
President Bush's "Thousand Points
of Light" in 1992.
Preventing teen pregnancy was going
to be the focal point of my work as
Surgeon General. The President has
offered me another platform from
which to pursue this mission, and I
�am honored to accept. But I don't
have all the answers. This effort
will require broad, bipartisan,
grassroots participation. Another
door has opened. Let's walk through
it together.
endit
�----------------
draft -- 6/23/95 12:30 pm -- NY Times Op-Ed (740 words)
My father used to tell me, "Son, when one door is closed,
another one opens.'' That is my personal postscript to the events
of this past week. The question posed to me most often since 43
Senators twice voted to block a full vote on my nomination to be
surgeon general is, "Are you bitter?"· And my answer is always
the same, "No." But, I am disappointed in the process. Within
72 hours of my nomination by President Clinton, anti-choice
groups were mobilizing to oppose me simply on the grounds of my
support of a woman's right to choose.
I found the attacks on my character especially repugnant.
People and publications, like the Times, who didn't know me from
Adam, jumped on a few misstatements and inferred that I was some
kind of shady character. In 38 years of professional life, as a
doctor, teacher, mentor, and administrator, never once has my
credibility been an issue. In fact, I am proud that I was one of
the youngest people ever inducted in the Institute of Medicine of
the National Academy of Sciences, and I am currently serving my
second term on the Ethics Committee of the Nashville Academy of
Medicine. During the early days of the media onslaught following
my nomination, I may have misspoke, but I never intended to
d~ceive.
Where I come from, a man is given the benefit_of the
doubt. But in Washington a simple slip of memory can be fatal,
so I've learned.
I also found the politi9ization of the nomination aborhent.
I accepted the President's nomination for one simple reason-- I
wanted to do something about improving the health of millions of
women, children, and young people in this country who are
suffering needlessly simply because of a lack of education and
access to care. But, unfortunately, this debate degenerated into
an arm wrestling match between two men who believe that the only
way they can be president is to demonstrate how tough they are to
the anti-choice movement. Imagine how people without health care
and teenager~ without hope felt when they read the June 21
headline in the New York Times, "Dole Uses Nomination for a
Political Victory."
Wouldn't it have been better to focus on
the need for a strong surgeon general to speak out on ways to
stop the spread of AIDS, drug abuse, heart disease, and teen
pregnancy?
But, having described my disappointment in the arduous and
ultimately unfair treatment I received, I want to make sure the
young people in this country do not lose faith in the system or
in the honor of public service.
As a child, I remember we
always had a copy of the Constitution in our home. My father
often told me that my freedom and justice were locked inside the
Constitution -- and that the key to unlocking it is an educated
mind.
I still have faith in those words and in this country.
That's why I am proud to accept an· offer by the President to help
�lead a national campaign to curb the epidemic of teen pregnancy
that is destroying so many lives. Everyday, 8,400 teenagers
become sexually active. And every day, 2,781 teenagers get
pregnant. In 1990, more than 1 million girls between the ages of
15 and 19 became pregnant. This is bad for the teens and even
worse for their children. We know that children born to
teenagers are more likely to have serious health problems, and
are more likely to be poor. We know that about 80 percent of
children born to teenage parents who dropped out of school now
live in poverty. If we want to prevent teen pregnancy, and
reduce the number of abo.rtions in this country, we must start at
the source. We must provide our young people with quality
education, comprehensive health services, enhanced self-esteem
and life options. As the Pres~ident likes to say, "We must give
them something to say yes to." That is what we are doing in the
"I Have a Future" program which I started at Meharry College back
in 1987. The program is so successful that it was recognized as
one of President Bush's "Thousand Points of Light" in 1992.
Preventing teen pregnancy was going to be the focal point of
my work as surgeon general. The President has offered me another
platform to pursue this mission, and I am happy to accept. But I
don't have all the answers. This effort will require broad,
bipartisan, grassroots participatio~. Another door has opened.
Let's walk through it together.
�draft -- 6/23/95 12:30 pm -- NY Times Op-Ed (740 words)
My father used to tell me, "Son, when one door is closed,
another one opens." That is my personal postscript to the events
of this past week. The question posed to me most often since 43
Senators twice voted to block a full vote on my nomination to be
surgeon general is, "Are you bitter?" And my answer is always
the same, "No." But, I am disappointed in the process. Within
72 hours of my nomination by President Clinton,~ (c..f- ,CeJ,rv.,_,
groups were mobilizing to oppose me simply on the grounds of my
/
support of a .woman's right to choose. ,_;w '-for\t-{cy- ._;l iJ..... T
r1
fa .. !::_
~ ----·
/J.;I"f._<.J<
I found t
attacks on my cha cter es
1ally repugnant. vr
People and pu ications, like the Times
o didn't know me from
Adam,
a few misstatements
d inferred that I was some
kind of shady character. In 38 years of professional life, as a
doctor, teacher, mentor, and administrator, never once has my
credibility been an issue. In fact, I am proud that I was one of
the youngest ·people ever inducted in the Institute of Medicine of (tJoi~c..,ft
the National Academy of Sciences, and I am currently serving my~~~ -f
second te~ on the Ethics Committee of,the Nashville Academy of
Medicine. During the early days of th~ media onslaught following
my nomination, I may have misspoke, but
·
o
deceive. Where I come from, a mtis given the benefit of the
doubt. But in Washington a simp e slip of memory can be fatal,
so I've learned.
'
'- ,L-; I I I - c r·fr'~
I also found the politicization of the nomination aborhent.
I accepted the President's nomination for one simple reason -- I
--~ .M wanted to do something about improving the health of millions of ~. ~
~~~~women, childrenc and young people in this countFy who are
suffering needlessly simply because of a lack of education and
access to care. But, unfortunately, this debate degenerated into
an arm restling match between two
who believe that the only
~
r./e:f;( way the. can. be president is to. demo stra_t
ow. toug th~l~~®
~
e ant1-cho1ce movemen .
mag1ne ow people w1thout-he
care
an teenag . w1 o
ope felt whe they read the June 21
headline in the New York Times, "D le Uses Nomination for a
Polifical Victory."
Wouldn't it ave been better to focus on
'~~ ~h;~~eed for a strong surgeon gene alto speak out on ways to
~~fe~the spread of AIDS, drug abu e, heart disease,land teen
<:::
pregnancy?
Cvcl. ._~
u'to (-e-JC-.L-
C/'r- ·
r-
M2.
· But, having described my disappointment in the arduous and
ultimately unfair treatment I received, I want to make sure the
young people in this country do not lose faith 'in the system or
in the honor of public service.
As a child, I remember we
always had a copy of the Constitution in our home. My father
often told me that my freedom and justice were locked inside the
Constitution -- and that the key to unlocking it is an educated
mind.
still have faith in those words and in this country.
why I am prond to accep-t-aE. offer -b-y-the-Pres-ident ~lp
�--~
--------~---~
lead a nat:1onal___campai-gn to curb the epidemic-o-Iteen pregnancy
that-i-s destroying so man-y lives. Everyday, 8,400 teenagers
become sexually active. And every day, 2,781 teenagers get
pregnant. In 1990, more than 1 million girls between the ages of
15 and 19 became pregnant. This is bad for the teens and even
worse for their children. We know that children born to
teenagers are more likely to have serious health problems, and
are mo~e likely to be poor. We know that about 80 percent of
children born to teenage parents who dropped out of school now
live in poverty. If we want to prevent teen pregnancy, and
reduce the number of abortions in this country, we must start at
the source. We must provide our young people with quality
education, comprehensive health services, enhanced self-esteem
and life options. As the President likes to say, "We must give
them something to say yes to." That is what we are doing in the
"I Have a Future" program which I started at M~hs.rry
ege back
in 1987. The program is so successful that it was r cognized as
one of President Bush's ''Thousand Points of Light" n 1992.
Preventing teen pregnancy was going to be
focal point of
my work as surgeon general. The President has o fered me another
platform to pursue this mission, and I am
to accept. But I
don't have all the answers. This effort
equire broad,
bipartisan, grassroots par~ cipation.
door has opened.
Let's walk through it tog her.
'
{~
�------,-------------------------------------------------~-----------
draft -- 6/23/95 12:30 pm -- NY Times Op-Ed (740 words)
My father used to tell me, "Son, when one door is closed,
another one opens." That is my personal postscript to the events
of this past week. The question posed to me most often since 43
Senators twice voted to block a full vote on my nomination to be
surgeon general is, "Are you bitter?" And my answer is always
the same, "No." But, I am disappointed in the process. Within
72 hours of my nomination by President Clinton, anti-choice
groups were mobilizing to oppose me simply on the grounds of my
support of a woman's right to choose.
I found the attacks on my character especially repugnant.
People and publications~ like the Times, who didn't know me from
Adam, jumped on a few misstatements and inferred that I was some
kind of shady character. In 38 years of professional life, as a
doctor, t~eacher, mentor, and administrator, never once has my ~
credibility been an issue. In fact, I am proud that I was one of
the youngest people ever inducted in the Institute of Medicine of
the National Academy of Sciences, and I am currently serving my
second term on the Ethics Committee of the Nashville Academy of
Medicine. During the early days of the media onslaught following
my nomination, I may have misspoke, but I never intended to
deceive. Where I come from, a man is given the benefit of the
doubt. But in Washington a simple slip of memory can be fatal,
so I've learned.
I also found the politicization of the nomination aborhent.
I accepted the President's nomination for one simple reason -- I
wanted to do something about improving the health'of millions of
women, children, and young people in this country who are
suffering needlessly simply because of a lack of education and
access to care. But, unfortunately, this debate degenerated into
an arm wrestling match between two men who believe that the only
way they can be president is to demonstrate how tough they are to
the anti-choice movement. Imagine how people without health care
and teenagers without hope felt when they read the June 21
headline in the New York Times, "Dole Uses Nomination for a
Political Victory."
Wouldn't it have been better to focus on
the need for a strong surgeon general to speak out on ways to
stop the spread of AIDS, drug abuse, heart disease, and teen
pregnancy?
But, having described my disappointment in the arduous and
ultimately unfair treatment I received, I want to make sure the
young people in this country do not lose faith in the system or.
in the honor of public service.
As a child, I remember we
always had a copy of the Constitution in our home. My father
often told me that my freeaom and justice were locked inside the
Constitution -- and that the key to unlocking it is an educated
mind.
·
I still have faith in those words and in this country.
That's why I am proud to accept an offer by the President to help
-----
�--------------
lead a national campaign to curb the epidemic of teen pregnancy
that is destroying so many lives. Everyday, 8,400 teenagers
become sexually active. And every day, 2,781 teenagers get
pregnant. In 1990, more than 1 million girls between the ages of
15 and 19 became pregnant. This is bad for the teens and even
worse for their children. We know that children born to
teenagers are more likely to have serious health problems, and
are more likely to be poor. We know that about 80 percent of
children born to teenage parents who dropped out of school now
live in poverty. If we want to prevent teen pregnancy, and
reduce the number of abortions in this country, we must start at
the source. We must provide our young people with quality
education, comprehensive.health services, enhanced self-esteem
and life options. As·the President likes to say, "We must give
them something to say yes to.'' That is what we are doing in the
"I Have a Future" program which I started at Meharry College back
in 1987. The program is so successful that it was recognized as
one of President Bush's ''Thousand Points of Light" in 1992.
Preventing teen pregnancy was going to be the focal point of
my work as surgeon general. The President has offered me another
platform to pursue this mission, and I am happy to accept. But I
don't have all the answers. This effort will require broad,
bipartisan, grassroots participation. Another door has opened.
Let's walk through it together .
. •··
�draft 6/20/95
STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON
THE SENATE VOTE ON SURGEON GENERAL NOMINEE, HENRY FOSTER
THE WHITE HOUSE
JUNE 21, 1995
I have just met with a group of Republican Senators to urge
them to vote to end debate and allow a simple up or down vote on
the nomination of Dr. Henry Foster. After more than four months
of exhaustive scrutiny and debate, Dr. Foster and the American
people ·deserve a decision -- not more delay. Dr. Foster has met
with Senators. He's answered· their questions, both privately and
in a hearing witnessed by the entire country. He has played by
the rules. Now it's time for the Senate to do the same. They've
heard the testimony, studied the record, and now they must act.
To kill this nomination by filibuster would be grossly unfair.
The American people deserve to know where their Senators stand.
All I have heard and seen these past four months strengthens my
support for this remarkable m~n. ae'~ spent 38 years in medicine
-- much of it working to improve the health of women and children
in poor and rural areas where a good doctor is hard to find. He
has delivered thousands of babies and trained hundreds of young
doctors. "I Have a Future," his program to address America's
teen pregnancy problem, was named one of America's "Thousand
Points of Light" by President George Bush in 1992.
Dr. Foster is
appeal to the
and then vote
of the United
imminently qualified to be America's doctor. I
Senate to do the right thing. Vote to end debate
to make Dr. Henry Foster the next Surgeon General
States.
Thank you.
r~~
lu(
dovtA-~
~~~
~j-~
�SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES
OP-ED
DR. HENRY FOSTER
JUNE 23. 1995
My father used to tell me, "Son, when one door is closed,
another one opens." That is my personal postscript to the fourmonth long nomination ordeal that came to a less than
satisfactory conclusion two weeks ago. The question posed to me
most often since this episode is, "Are you bitter?" And my
answer is always the same, "No." But, I am disappointed in the
process. Within 72 hours of my nomination by President Clinton
last February, anti-choice groups were mobilizing to oppose me
simply on the grounds of my support of a woman's right to choose.
I found the attacks on my character especially repugnant.
People and publications, like the "New York Times," who didn't
know me from Adam, took a misstatement,· for which I apologized,
and inferred that I was some kind of shady-character. In 38
years of professional life, as a doctor, teacher, mentor, and
administrator, never once has my credibility been an issue. In
fact, I am proud that I was one ·of the youngest people ever
inducted in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of
Sciences, and I am currently serving my tenth consecutive year on
the Ethics Committee of the Nashville Academy of Medicine.
During the early days of the media onslaught following my
nomination, I may have misspoke, but there was no intent to
deceive. Where I come from, a man is given the benefit of the
doubt. But in Washington a simple slip of memory can be fatal,
so I've learned.
~( /~
·
71
I also found th~li-t-icization of the nominat~n deeply
disturbing .• ,~e Presidentes nominat~rror one simple
reason -- £.U,7anted to do something about improving the health of
millions of Americans, especially children and young people who
are suffering needlessly simply because of a lack of education
and access to adequate care. But, unfortunately, this debate
degenerated into an arm wrestling match between two candidates
who believe that the only way they can become president is to____
demonstrate to ·the
ovement how tough they are. It
i
lng comment on politics an
at the
crowned winners of this process are the politicians who made
wiliest use of Senate rules. I was hoping.the victors might
instead be the millions of Americans who need a Surgeon General
to speak out on ways to stop the spread of AIDS, drug abuse,
heart disease, violence and teen pregnancy.
But, having described my disappointment in the arduous and
ultimately unfair treatment I received, I want to urge the young
people in this country not to lose faith in the system or in the
honor of public service. Good came from this process. Despite
all the noise, we were able to bring the horrilic issue of teen
1
�.-----------------
pregnancy to the forefront. I think we should seize this
opportunity. In his State of the Union Address President Clinton
called the epidemic of teen pregnancy this nation's ''most serious
social problem!" And he called for parents and leaders across the
country to mobilize a national teen pregnancy prevention
campaign.
Why is such a campaign necessary? Everyday, 8,400 teenagers
become sexually active. And every day, 2,781 teenagers get
pregnant. In 1990, more than 1 million girls between the ages of
15 and 19 became pregnant. This is bad for the teens and even
worse for their children. We know that children born to
teenagers are more likely to have serious health problems, and
are more likely to be poor. We know that about 80 percent of
children born to teenage parents who dropped out of school now
live in poverty. If we want to prevent teen pregnancy, and
reduce the number of abortions in this country, we must start at
the source. As the President likes to say, "We must give t~ ~~ lL
something to say yes to." That is what we are doing in the "I ~
Have a Future" program which I started in Nashville back·in 1987.
The program is so successful that it was recognized as one of
ll--i.t-\~
President Bush's "Thousand Points of Light" in 1992.
JJ..!I...
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_
Let me descri~e some of the elements of the progra~Y~~
believe could become part of a national effort. The program is--~
community based~~~~~_o£_~~~~~~~~~~~~IS±n~1TI~te~~
With respect to exuali ty, · the
pla~ed on abst' ence.
All decisions and activities are directed and carried out by
a broad community coalition. Everybody from parents and
grandparents to clergy and business leaders, and~ro~v9}unteers
to local government has a role to play. ~ ~1s a strong
focus on building self-esteem and giving young people a vision of
positive futures. One of tne main reasnns-W€~~-d-the program
was l::_)_ec-a1J:se :too many ~rams· were in.v:o-d:-v-ecl---±n--s±mpi-y g1 ving
t e en~a ~e r-s-----cont.r.a.G-e~.---T-hG.s.e-p-t:.O.g~-w-ere fa i 1 ±ng be cause
the_y__:ta.i-J..~-the __ct_asJ.re. to-fH?"everrrpre-grrcrncy in -the
tir~~ee.
Too many children today believe their future holds
little for them except having babies. For teenagers, that's a
dead-end dream, and we've got to replace it with a dream of hope
and unlimited ach~vement.
~
-
~-foo~
~
So we ~r young people three things: First, we equip them
with the basic information they need about health, human
sexuality, and drug.and alcohol use so they understand the
benefits of abstinence and the consequences of early sexual
activity and other risky behaviors.
w~vide
Second,
a comprehensive array of adolescent
health services, w.-3:th a-to ens gn e.astifieftee.
----~
means access to birth control• ~a-r-ti?f:l, ~~:wrtVl?lr€ 'LiJijjkNJ>"Of
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And third, and most important,
people enhance
th·eir life-options through activities that improve their job ~~- 0 ,
skills, self-reliance, values and self-esteem. For example, the ~
yetlth~~~-neu-~
r ·
ps teenagers
~
learn more about themselves and the world of work by empowering
them to start businesses in their neighborhoods. This kind of
skills-development and character-building is not only important
for girls and young women, but; as research is showing us, it is
also c;J)i t~·
~all
impo:r:tar:t for boy~ a~? ¥oung men.
·-;t;._Q,
.
~~~~
But, whi-l-e
ve a Fti-'Eur-e!!--contalns many of the baild1ng
~ocks fGr a nat±on~~-ea~, each community must find its own
way. What works in Nashville, may not work in Chicago or Newark.
There is no monopoly on good ideas. What is needed is national
coordination in the sharing, testing, and replication of what we
know works.
Preventing teen pregnancy was going to be the focal point of
my work as surgeon general. The Pre~sident .. and I are discussing
another platform that would allow me to pursue this mission. I
stand ready to serve. But I know I don't have all the answers.
Any effort to reduce teen pregnancy will require broad,
bipartisan, grassroots participation. Another door is opening.
This time, let's walk through it together.
3
��Dr. Henry Foster
·Nominee for U.S. Surgeon General
·,
7HE ROLE OF THE SURGE~N GENERAL AS EDUCATOR"·
· Rerharks at The 'Annual Meeting of APGO an:d CREOG
Orlando; Florida March 8, 1995
Thank you Dr. Chang (R Jeffrey, APGO President) and Dr. Youngblood (James P.; CREOG
Chairman:) for that gracious introduction. And to all of you -- my colleagues-- th!lflk you as .
well. What a stroke of genius .... To have a meeting ofbaby doctors· in Orlando -- home of the ·
Magic Kingdom.· I am reminded of those' TV commercial_s .where after the big game the star
. player looks into the camera and says, IIJ'm on my way the to Disney W,orld.''
Well; as men and women who specialize in delivering healthy life into this world, you are
without doubt, stars of the most important game of all ..... :and, for my money, you are some of '
the most valuable players in the medical profession.. So, you've earned this trip to Disney
World. Now so'me people say that the most exhilarating experience at Disney World is the
Space Mountain roller coaster. But; after all the ups and downs I've been through the past
month, I think they could really pack them in with a new ride called the Surgeon General lop
dee loop.
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Let me take a moment to thank all of you. who have stoodo by me throughout this roller·
coaster ride. If it were not for the principled backing that I have received from my many
. friends in CREOG; APGO, ACOG and others, I would not be standing here today, I will
never, ever forget your support
.
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Now that ·President· Clinton has formally sent my nomination to the Senate, I want to focus
the discussion on my vision for the job .. But, let's 'start by defining the job.
About the only thing that is· misunderstood mor~ than Henry Foster is ~he. role of the U.S.
Surgeon General. Some people think the position of Surgeon General denotes the coUntry's
principal health official. It does not. Some people think that the Surgeon General is part of
the military: It is not. And, rather than take the time to understand the proper role of the
position, some people would just as soon see it abolished. This Administration will not.
The Surgeon General ·is first and foremost and educator. He or she has a bully pulpit to teach
the nation ~bout health promotion and disease prevention.
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The position was first established i'n 1871. And the first Surgeon General, John Maynard
Woodworth was a former medical officer-- hence the uniform. But just maybe Woodworth
understood something we've all come to know':.._ people tend to listen a bit :more cldsety to
someonct' who's wearing a military ·uniform. I know-- I've been an active-duty military ·
offi~er. ·The diseases we were fighting back then were. cholera,_yellow fever and smallpox ..
t
�I
Today, the major cqncerns are cancer, IDV/AIDS; heart disease, teen pregnancy and s~bstance
abuse -- and the need for a national educator to promote good health has never be~ greater.
It was Surgeon General Luther Terry who issuedthe first Surgeon General's Report on
Smoking and Health;back in 1964 -- which boldly and crrectly. stated thai c~garette to lung
·
r·
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cancer.smoking was linked:
It was Surgeon General C. Everett Koop who wrote the report on AIDS that was rpailed to
every household in the United States in a majo_r effort to educate the public on the issue of AIDS. Let_ me-repeat, the role of the Surgeon General -- first and foremost -- is to educate
and to advocate. :
·
·
As leaders in 'the world of academia, all of you understand the·p~rpose and the power of that
role. You wield that power everyday .I And you use it to train students, to .save lives and to
·
change behaviors.
By temperament and training, I too am .a teacher. ·And, like many of you, I have worn many
hats. I have been a doctor for 38 years. I have run a major'health sciences center, comprised
. of four schools: medicine, dentistry, allied health, and graduate studies.
As chair of the Department of OB-GYN at Meharry Medical College, I taught more than
1,500 young women and men who have gone on to be doctors. In its 120th year, Meharry-is
among the nation's finest teaching institutions. In 1972, I had the good fortune to become
one of the youngest people ever .inducted-into ·the Institute of Medicine of the National _
Academy of Sciences. And, as the founde~ of the award-winning UI Have 'a Future Program,"
the program and I were recognized as one of this nation's "Thousand Points of Light" ~n
1991 by President
George Bush. In fact, point
404.
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· . Teacher. University l~ader. And participating obstetrician/gynecologist. I have dedicated my
entire profess-ional life to bringing healthy lives into. this world -- and teaching people how to
reach their full potential.
·
And for most of my career, I have gone where others have dared not go\ I have gone into the. ·
rural, dusty ~ackroads of Alabama to·bring life-saving prenatal care to poor, pregnant. women
and their babies. Many of these women had never seen a .doctor in their lives. I have gone .
into the high-risk, lo~-income projects of Nashvill,e,. to bring fife affirming messages of.
abstinence and hope to kids in need. And I have gone into the health care Wastelands around
this co\;lntry and challenged local teachi:Q_g hospitals to expand services and the training of
health care'._professionals. But, of all the things I've done, nothing has·given me a greater.
sense of prYde ·and accomplishment than delivering healthy babies into. the world. I know you
know what I mean. ·
'
I have personally·
delivered thousands and thousands
of babies.
So when people ask me why
- ..
I
. .
.
·I want to be Surgeon General, I have a-strong answer. When you had the good fortune to
particj"pate in the mi~acle of birth
many times as I have, it is difficult to stand on the
·.
.
sidelines and watch so many people wasting the precious gift of ,life...
as
�. It is difficult to look around America today and see so much needless suffering because of a
lack of knowledge _about prevention: .. or a lack of access and ~tilization of quality ~ealth
care .. :or the .lack of tho'se basic values thatprevent violence or abuse from taking root.
f .
.
.
.
.·
But all is not lost. , America is moving forward to confront both our health. care crisis and the
crisis of values that has led to so much irresponsible behavior. As your Surgeon General -. working with you and all Americans·~.: I believe thati can tum the small ripples of success
that we have produced into.great waves ofprogress. I believe) that I can. help empower more
people to reclaim the power over their own health .. :... That I can help inspire people in
communities all across this nation to put a stop to dangerous and destructive behayiors ...
... That ~ can help draw more attention to the tragic .public health problems conf.ronting us -From· the epidemic of violence to the spread of IllVI AIDS to the terrible problem of
substance abuse.
The biggest tragedy is that these conditions are largely preventable and the d~aths they cause
are most often· unnecessary. · One of the reasons I have hope is because of educators like you
and the positive trends we are now seeing: Like the steady decline in smoking over the· past
20 years, the steep .decline. in the numbers of people drinking and driving, and the steady
that, with quality leadership,
increase in the use ofseat belts. Americans .are demonstrating
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we can make headway ·on major public health problems if we only put our minds to it.
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That's why I am so confident we can make progress against what the President has called,
"our most serious· social problem" .--the epidemic of teen pregnancy il} this county.
J
Why is fighting teen pregnancy so critical?. Be~ause we know that early pregnancy is so
often linked -- either as a cause or consequence -- to violence, early drug use, excessive
alcohol use, HIVI AIDS, poverty and welfare, Let me tell you briefly what we qid in ·
Nash~ille.
.
·
We started the I Have a Future teen pregnancy prevention program at Meharry Medical
College back in '1987. Anchored in Nashvil~e's public housing projects, this program brings
services for teenagers into their communities, where they can become. a part of tlie fabric -of
their daily life: And we involve'the entire community. Everybody -- from parents and ·
grandpa.fents to clergy and business' leaders to volunteers and local government --· has a role
to play.
I·
One of the main reasons we started this program was because back.theil, too many programs·
simply gave teenagers contraceptives without giving the~ a vision of a Sllccessful future: ·
That wasn't-enough.
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Programs that provide the capacity~ to prevent pregnancy will fail. unless they al~o create the
desire to/prevent pregnancy. Too many children today believe their future holds little for
them ex'cept having babies. For adolescents, that's a dead-end dream and we have got to•
replace it with a dream of hope and unlimited achievement. That's what I Have a Future is
t
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all about. Having a future.
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We stre~s· abstinence first and foremost.· But-- mos~ important,__ we give young people reasons to warit to postpone early sexual activizy: . We try to give our· young people. the self~
esteem and self-respect and life options that they' need to say "no." to sex and "yes" to their
.education and futures;- But we live in the real world, dealing with the real problems teenagers
face in the inner-city Nashville housing projects. If they insist on being sex~ally,_active, our
· · .
program provi~es contraceptives: To do otherwise is. grossly irresponsible .. ·
Further, their parents have asked us to, do so. Let me be clear:-- Our goal is to prevent teen
· pregnancy so that these young pe~ple have every possible option available to the~ for their .
1
future..
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And it's working. Just last year, 24 of the program participants graduated from high school.
And 16 of these young people ar~ now in college, while four others joined .the Armed Forces.
·And I would like to merition a very significant fact -:- eight of. the young people that went to
college are African American males. I Have a Future has shown a remarkable. ability to keep
the interest of J\,frican American males, whi'ch make up 56% of our participants.
I believe that, with the involvement and leadership of local people, the same thing can be·
done in communities all across this nation. Since the President asked me to take on the job
of Surg~on General, I have been in the fight of my life. I. am standing strong -.., and I
appreciate the strong .support of the President. And I especially appreciate your support. ···~ : ·
One thing I know-- my fight is no tougherthan the one I'm asking all of you to join: That's • ·
the .fight to improve the health of all Americans and to P!event teeri pregnancy.
As an educator, th~ Surgeon General must lead that effort from the highest office. But it is
an extensio~ of what-you do -every day -- in your practice and in your teaching. And. it is
timely and .fitting that for the first time in history this position will be filled by an
obstetrician/gynecologist. I am going. to, need all of you with me. In America, we are free to
make our country as good in practice as in, promise. · I believe that working together we can
accomplish that.
Thank .you very much.
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. . -:-:';.<Remarks·· as prepared fo'r deli very py'
.,1.;,::-~':···-"·
·Dr. Henry Foster
· ·
,.~;_~o:;,:t~-:_?~:::: :·'-Nominee.· for U.-s. Surg~on General
\
·
at
·
,
'c;eorge Washington University -·-. School .of Public-~Health
February .10,1995
, '
:
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.Thank you, Alan Wein_gol~ for that -gracious j.ntroduct,ion.~ · 'It
is a pleasure tG be here at this prestigious university. ·
'0'
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You guys
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g~ve
.
me a lot of inspiration.
,.
Nobody expected your men's basketball team·to beat the
number one team in the country last week;.but you did.
.
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So I know you understand what it.f~els· like tohavea tough
battle ahead of ~ou.
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It is fitting that the President announced his intent tonominate me for the position of Surgeon.General on.February the
second, Groundhog Day.
·
'--
::-,
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} That's the· day when, if the groundhog sees its shadqw, we
know we're in for six more weeks of winter. But if the groundhog
doesn't see it, we know that spring is just around 'the corner.
I feel a
litt~e
'
bit like that groundhog.
'
Because ever since February the second -- when President
Clinton·and Secretary Shalala publicly called me to service-the descriptions of myself and my work that·I have read in the
papers and·seen on TV have cast an unrecognizable shadow of the
man_I,rea:lly am.
Yes,_ I see a shadow, but it's not !!!Y shadow.'
And tha·t means Spring is just around the corner.
In his announcement of my nomination, the President thanked·.
me for taking 9n the di,fficult ·.task of public service at a time
when public, s·ervice som~times has a high price.
I thought I knew what he meant at the
tim~.
But after the -past week-:- I really:know what he
meant~
So you might be wondering, why do I want this job?
Let me tell you.
�~-
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.·-·.<: •.
If ·you~-ve J:)eE!m listening 'to- the news lately, you may have
gotten the wrong idea ,abou~ my profe·ss~onal career.
I have been a doctor..for 38
years~
. I have tun a major health sciences center, eomprised of-four
• schools: • medicine, dentistry,._ ailied .health, and· graduate
studies.
·
·.In 1972,- I became_one of the youngest people ever inducted
into the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of .
Sciences.
I
' I am the founder of the award-winning "I Have a Future
'Program," which was recognized .as one of this nation's ·"Thousand
Points of Light" in .1991 ·by. President Geor_ge B~sh. ·
·
and
a
I am_also a husband of 35 years :and-the· father of a daughter
son.
_ F,or the past 38 years, as a teacher, a university leade+,
arid a practicing obstetrician/gynecologi'st, I have dedicated_my
entire professional life to bringing healthy lives into this
Vlo'rld -- and· helping people reach their full potential. _.
I_ have personally delivered-'·th6usa6ds~;~nd thousands of·
·
·
·
.-babies.
· ·1
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While chaix:·of.the Department of OB-GYN ·at Meharry Medical
College, I taught more than 1500 students. Founded 119 years··
ago, Meharryis among the nation's.finest teaching institutions.
_j
.J
And I h'ave worked tirelessly to improve the health of
newborns, unborns_; and their mot:hers.
) When you've.h~d the good fortune to participate in the
miracle_of birth as many times as I .have, it is difficult to
stanc;i on the sidelines and. watch so many people wasting the
precibus gift of-life. ••• .
'
.
..
,.
It is difficult to .look around America today and see, so much
needless ·suffering-because -of a lack-of knowledge about
prevention .•• ·
••• or ~ lack of_· access and utilization ·of 'qual.i ty health
care ••.
... or th~·lack'of those basic
or abuse from taking root.
·
~alues
that prevent-violence
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But
': ' ·;~~j1~~y-~·
all'~s
·.~·.
., ' ' '
not· lost.
'America is moving ·forward to confront both.our health care·
crisis and the crisis. of values that has led-to'too much
irresponsible behavior.
As your Surgeon General . workj,ng with you·and all
Americans-:- I believe that I can turn·the. small ripples of
success that we. have produced irito great waves of progress .•
I believe that I can help empower ,more pe.ople to reclaim th~
power over their own health •••
. • . That I can help inspire people ·,in communities all across .·
this nation to put a ~top to dangerous and destructive
behaviors. • •
. .. ·
·
. ·~
••• That I can help draw·more attention to the tragic public
problems confronting us~~ From the epidemic of·violence
the spread of AIDS to. the terrible problem of substance abuse.
h~alth
~o
The biggest·tragedy is that these conditions are_largely
preventable.andthe deaths they cause. are so often unnecessary.·
(
Take violence,
~or
example.
I believe we have the power to eradicate this scourge and
prevent its re.currence. ·
, ,.
. At least 2.2 million Americans are victims of violent irijury
each year.
In
in
~is
1992,~ there were more than 37,000 firea·rm-related deaths
country.,
I
Escalating violence in·America causes not.only unnecessary.·
injury and death;
'It is also a major ·cause of the disinteg.ration .and the
hopelessness that· pervade so many ··of our communities.
·
We can dig at the root causes_of this epidemic and'we can
weed it out of existence.
·
·
I know we can -- but it's going to' take entire communities,,
working together.
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Tlien there's drug and alcohol abuse.
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A growi11g. ,'nWDber of our yoUng_ people are. using illicit drugs
and rufni-ng ·:;their chances :to grow into heal thy and produc~i ve .·
adulthood.·
·
·
·
·
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.
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. .
Recent surveys·by the Department. of Health and Human
Servicesconfirm that for three years in a row, the use of.
marijuana and other drugs by·8th, ld,th, and 12th graders.has
actually risen. ·
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At the same· time,· we see an increase in the n~e·r of. older ·
. drug users whq are showing up in emergency ·rooms.
We've got to do a better job at .drug preven_tion
.clear, c6n~istent anti-drug messages
sending
listening to our young-people •••
helping them form positive _goals
and giving them the support they need to achieve ·them .. ·
And then there's AIDS.
.---...
The Centers.for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed
that. in 1993 AIDS overtook accidents· as, the riumber one killer of
men, aged .25 to 44 in the 'Qni ted_ States·.·~
·
.
.
·And just this week, the .World Health Organization reported
tha.t .HIV cases are rising fastest among women ~- and especially
young girls and- adolescents.
·
·While we are still searching .for a cure
we;know how to.
prevent the spread of-HIV. And we must not be timid in sharing
what we ··know.
· The knowledge we have about preventing AIDS has the power to
save millions of lives: the key is to, commit ourselves riot only
to talking the talk -:-- but walking the walk -- of prevention.
Which brings me to.the ·issue that the President·asked me to.
place at the top of .my agenda -..., teen-pregnancy.
·
.
.
And I want· to commend the President in the strongest terms
for his role in turning the natiphal spotlight on this.
unacceptable problem.
·
All of.the afflictions .that
Violence, drug use, AIDS •.••
·'
. ,.
.
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~·ve
just mentioned:
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.
All- of :I~h~ ~·are . linked to the . unacceptably high teen
. pregnancy ra'~e. in this country.
. .
.
are.
. Early -~ex and _early pregnancy so ofte.n
lfnked' ~ ... either .
· as a cause or a consequence.-- of violence, :drug use, AIDS,
poverty'· and. so many o.ther negative· outcomes·.
·
'l
•
'
Every day 8,400 teenagers become sexually active.
'
And every day, 2,781 'teenagers get pregnant: This translates
into 116 pregnancies per hour.
· ·
This is bad for the
t~ens
wo~se
and even
for their children.
We know that _children born to teenagers are more likely to
have serious health problems-,· and are more likely to }?e poor.
.
.
-
~-
We know that about QO percent·of children born to teenage
parent~ who dropped out of high school now .live in poverty.
If we want to prevent teen pregnancy, we must offer young
people more than. slogans and dependency.·
·
-.
.
.
.
~
We must offer them something that's worth more than gold-We must offer them a quali.ty education, a full .. array of health·
services, and enhanced self-esteem and life-options.
' '
Too many children· today believe their pnly.hope is having·
babies.
. ·.That's a dead--end dream and we've got to replacE: it -with a
dream of hope and unlimited achievement~ .
.
.
.
That's the philosophy that embodies. the "I Have a Future"
program we started at Meharry Medical. College back in. 1987. ·
'··
, Our approach is to expand: adolescent health care programs
beyond the schools, and bring them to the community, where they·
can become. a part of the fabric of everyday life.
'
'
Ot.ir ·program is _anchored, in. Nashville's public housing
.
projects. With-respect to sexuality, the emphasi~ firs1: ·and
foremost is always ·:placed on abs.tii).~nce.
··
c ·"
'
The program involves
matrix of the surrounding
c
~ntire
·
)
families and the tota-l social
·
co~unity.
Everybody from-parents, grandparents to polit'iciai).s,
volunteers, and from the~clergy to business leaders has a.role to
pl~y.
'
. .
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There are· ·three. parts :to. the ·program:
I
1
·
.'
First, .-we equip adolescents with the basic information they'
need about health, human sexuality, and drug -and alcohol use so
they understand the bEmefi ts o'f abstinence. and the consequences
.of early sexual activity: and other risky-behaviors.
-,
Second, ~e provide ·a comprehensive array of :adolescent
health services, with a focus ori abst-inence. ·In some cases, that
means access to birth control -- with a very strong emphasis on
parental and community involvement.
·
'·
And third, and most important, we .help young people enhance
their life-options thro'ugh .activities .that impro.ve their job
s·kills, self-reliance, values ~nd sel~-esteem.
For examplei the youth entrepreneurial component. of' our
program helps teenagers learn more· about. themselves and abc;>Ut the
·world of work byempowering them to ·start businesses in their:
communi ties.
·
·
· ·· · ··
· ·
This kind of sJcills.;.development and character-building is
not only important for girls and young women ~- b:ut, as research
is showing us, it is also critically important for boys and young
-men ..
We.have to take the time to understand all the unique
· aspects of younc{peoples' lives: .
Building up their self-esteem, telling them we believe in
them, but not simply treating them as collections of problems.·
That is what we have done in "I Have a Future" --.and·it
works.
We know of only one of the program's participants from 1988
to 1991 .who became pregnant -- compared to 59 teenage pregnancies
in the two other demographically similar Nashville. housing
projects where "I Have. a Future" is not 'offered. .
..
And just last year, 16 of ·.the 24 program participants who
graduated from high school went on tq college. Eight of them
were male and 8 -were -female.· '
v'
.
.
. It h_a.s not been' easy ~- and results don't h~ppen. overnight.
Iri fact, it's a difficult process, and requires great
dedication by m~ny people
but it is working.
.
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This '·sho~s- .YOU what· one community can do -when ·it ·makes
teenage well':"'being a real priority -- and I .:believe this kind -of
success
is possible
"in every
community.
·
,·
.
.
'
-'.·
_.
~
· But let me
\..
.
.
'
·clear:
~be
.·
'.
.
.
'
.
.
.
'-,
As Surgeon General,· I will work to empower ·local communities··
to develop comprehensive pro_grarits that fit ·their individual
.
~e~.
What works in Nash-ville ·rilay not work completely iri Chicago
or Charlotte.
It will be up to local communities to decide what is best ,
for them..
.r·
~
/·
The Administration and I are con,gruEmt in our emphasis-on
abstinence ...
.·
.
. _!
..
.
.
.•. Because ;I believe .that 'abstinence ·:and aspiration .are. :
i_'riextricably linked.
· · ~- -·. ·--q'"'·"''"""'-"l'i""'.-- -~ ·.
. ·c
.'-':...t:.:::-;::::'.
.
My opponents say that this nomination· is about abortion. ·.. I
!~- ·
hav~ dedicated my medical career·to_.tak~ng .all appropriate
. ~~'·medical steps .to meet .the health needs :,of -cmy patiez:1ts, ·and ,that
f
incl-ude~ ·-peiforming.· legal abqrtioris;. ~. . - -- .
~
·-i.·"-~~~·~:-t·: -~(~
.
.
..
.
. .
.
'
.
,I ·believe ·in ·-the right of -a .womafi :to .choose~ And I also
support the President's belief that:abortions should be safe,
~egal and rare.
·
;But my "life's work has beeil ,de_dicated to making sure that
young people don~t .have to ·facec::the·choice-of having. abortions .
.
..
To do- this, we hav~ to ·put.life's possibilities within reach
of all our young .people.
· ·
·One of the reasons I have .hope is be.cause there- are so many
positive trends out ·there:
.
.
'
.
I
.
.
,
.
Like the· steady decline in .sinoking over the _past 20 years, .
the steep decline l.n the numbers of people drinking and driving,
and the. steady increa_se in the_ use of. seat belts~
. Americans are demonstrating ·tbat, with qualit.y leadership,
we can make headway on major publ~c health_problems if we put our
minds to it~
·
··
·
. I
Since the ·:President asked me to take. on the job' of Surgeon
General, r' h~ve beeri -in the fi,ght ·of my life~
·
.
-.. .
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. .
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I -ain standing ·strong --·and.t appreciate the strong support
of the ·President.
· ,And I. appreciate you:t;". support.
.
~
~
_One thing I. know ~- my fight .i.s no tbugher ·than the one I'm
asking all of you to join:
·
That's ~he fight to improve the: health .. of all Americans and
to prevent teen pregnancy.
·
·
I
.
'
.·
'
. I am eager to get to work, because ,there· .is so much work to
be done.
·
·
· ·
I won·~ t hesitate to call on each ·-arid . every one of you for
help.
/
These. are all our children.
Thank you .
·And ·they need all of our help.
.,
\,
·· .... ,
")·
�--
-----
;
THE NOMINATION OF DR. HENRY FOSTER, JR.·
June 20, 1995
Dr. Fo~ter "clearly demonstrated his qualifications. If he is not qualified to be
America's doctor, it's hard to imagine who would be. There has been a lot of politics
· · and a .Zot of talk back and forth on this nomination, but now the tinie has come to do
the right thing. If the majority of the United States Senate is for him, he should
certainly be confirmed. ·President Clinton, 5/25/95
II
,_
TIME TO VOTE.
-·The United States Senate has questioned Dr. Foster, met' with Dr. Foster, considered Dr.
Foster, and debated Dr. -Foster for almost 5 months. Enough is eri.ough. Now it's time to
vote on Dr. Foster.
,
c,JKPr-c-\f ~A:lfL lS fA-til-. .
. .
.
..
-vt>TING ON 1t~ FOSTER MEANS VOTING OlV DR. FOSTER.
- Henry Foster deserves the simple' respect of an up or. down vote on his· nomination. The
American people deserve to know where their Senators stand on Dr. Foster's ·nomination. A ·
vote to end debate isn't a vote on Dr. Foster-- it's ~sb~ cover people who don't want to..
~ Come on -- nobody voting for more debate really thinks we need to
debate this anymore. So what are they afraid of!
.
.
'
\
.
NO IFS, NO rANDS, NO BUTS -- JUST AYES AND NAYS •
. It's time to stop hiding behind procedural tricks. Let the Senate vote on Dr. Foster, and let
the Senat~ decide. If a majority of the U.S. Senate wants Dr. 'Foster to be Surgeon General,
he should be Surgeon General. If a majority is opposed to Dr. Foster, he shouldn't be.
That's it. Stop talking, start voting.
***
DR.I FOSTER IS WELL QUALIFIED TO BE
AMERICA'S DOCTOR
.
Dr. Foster has spent 38 years in medicine. He has the leadership, knowledge, and
. compassion to be· the doctor for a]J Americans. He has dedicated his life to improving the
health of the women and children in his care. He has delivered thousands of babies and ·
trained hundreds of young doctors. H;e has worked hand-in-hand with people in underserved
communities to solve their health problems.
. In Tuskegee,'· Alabama, Dr. Foster established aprogram, now a national model, to bring
-pre-natal care to poor rural women. He led a multi-million dollar national campaign to
expand health care services for high-risk youth. "I Have A Future," his program to address
America's teen-pregnancy problem, was named one of America's Thousand Points of Light
by President Gedrge Bush. In 1992, Dr; Foster led the successful effort to save one of
America's foremost black hospitals.
·
·
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�THE NEW YORK TIMES
OP-t.:U SUNDAY,]ULY2, 1995
Mangled by Politics
By Henry Foster
Te'
iNGTON
It has
tans to
hey are
ys pre·e pack.
elf.
to his
against
elf. You
he perc.e he is
roteus.
election
s politird Morin 1981,
e ingenlinton to
tehouse,
or was
nd him
s In his
In His
. Clinton
hich he
and re~
lr
had to
! )
ne thing.
1ted Bill
inpaign,"
bility.
·-year~ld
working
, Senator
that last
gathering
utmaneu1;,.,
WASHINGTON
y ·father used to
tell me, "When
.,pne door is closed,
another·
one
opens." ·That is
my personal postscript to the story of my nomination
as Surgeon General.
On consecutive days, 57 senators·-.
a strong majority -·approved a full
vote on my confirmation. But a small
minority, through the wily use of Senate rules, prevailed, and the matter
was not allowed to come to a vote.
. The question posed most often in
the last few days is, "Are you bitter?" My answer is always no. But I
am deeply disappointed in the political process. Within 72 hours of the
time President Clinton no'minated
me In February, groups opposed to
abortion were mobilizing'to stop me
simply because I support a woman's
right to choose.
I found the attacks on my character
especially repugnant. People and media organizations that knew nothing
about me took a misstatement -'- my
M
Henry Foster, a physician, is professor of obstetrics and gynecology. at
Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn.
underestimate of the number of abortions I had performed in a 38-year
career - and inferred that I was
some kind of shady character. In my
entire professional life not once has
my credibility been an issue.
During the early days of the media
onslaught, if I misspoke there was no
intent to deceive, and I repeatedly
apologized for the mistake. Where I
come from,' a man Is given the benefit of the doubt. But In Washington a ··
simple slip of memory can be fatal,
so 1've learned.
1 also found the politicization of the.
nomination deeply disturbing. The
President nominated me for one rea'--
My job title is
less important
than our kids.
son. We both wanted to do something
about improving the health of millions
of Americans, especially children and
young people who are suffering simply because. of a lack of education and
access to adequate care.
Unfortunately, the process degenerated into· an arm-wrestling match
Trouble Dovvn
On the Farm
1<l70's: mtnnr If>
among Republican Presidential hope- health problems and are more likely three things. First, basic Information
fuls who apparently believe that the to be poor than children born to older about health, sexuality and drug and
only way they can :reach· the White parents: About 80percent of children alCohol abuse. They need to under'
House Is to demonstrate to the anti- born to teen-agers who dropped out stand the consequence·of early sexual activity and other risky behavior.
choice movement how tough they are. · of school live 'in poverty.
Second, we must make available an
The crowned winners' turn out to be
f we want to preventteen-age array of adolescent health services,
the politicians who made the cleverest
pregnancy and reduce 'the with support from the community and
use of Senate rules. I was hoping the
number of abortions, we must parents. We must stress abstinence
victors might be the millions of Amerstart at the source. We must from sexual activity, but for teenIcans who need a Surgeon General to
provide young people with a agers who chose to be sexually active
speak out on ways to stop the spread
of AIDS, drug ,abuse, violence. and
good education, comprehen- we must provide birth control. To do
teen-age pregnancy.
. sive health services ·and more em- otherwise Is Irresponsible.
Third, and most important, we
Despite all this, young people ployment opportunities.
· That is the core Idea of the "I Have must help young people Improve
should not lose faith-In the-system
and In the honor of public service. a Future" program, which· I started their opportunities by Improving not
Whe·n I was growing up In Pine Bluff, in 'the Nashville housing projects In just their job skills but also their selfArk., we always had a copy ·of the 1987 and is still working; In 1992 It reliance and sense of values ..
Con·stitution In our home. My father. was recognized as one .of President Projects like helping teen-agers
often told me that my freedom and George Bush's "Thousand Points of start businesses In their neighborjustice were locked inside the Consti- Light." An impressive number of the . · hoods can.address both goals at once.···
. tution - and ·that the key to unlock- program's graduates are staying In
Each community must find its own
ing it was an educated mind.
school and going on to college.
way. What works in Nashville may
I still have faith in those words and ·
These successes cim be duplicated not work in Chicago or Newark.
in this country. Good came from this nationwide. But the problem cannot What is needed is national coordlnaprocess. Despite all the noise, we were be approached fro in the top down. All tion in the sharing, testing and evaluable to bring the crucial issue of teen- . decisions should be carried out at the ation of local efforts so that we can
age pregn'ancy to the forefront.
local level, and everyone has a role to decide what works.
Preventing teen-age pregnancy ·
In 1991, the most recent year for play - parents, grandparents, clerwas going to be the focal point of· my
which figures are available, more gy, business leaders, volunteers.
than one million girls in America
One thing any program must do is work as Surgeon General. The Presibetween· the_ ages of· 15 and 19 be- give young people a positive vision of dent and I are discussing another ·
came pregnant. Not only is this bad the future. Too many children be-e platform that would allow me to pur- •
· for the girls - and the fathers who lieve that their future holds- nothing sue this n1'tssion. I s_tand ready io .
are 'not ready for a family - it is but having babies. That dead-end serve, though I kriow I don't have all .
even worse for their children. We dream has to be replaced with a the answers. Another door is open-·
know that children born to teen- dream of unlt'mited achievement.
ing, and I look forward to walking·
So, we must offer young people through it.
0 ·
agers are more likely to have se~ious
I
�APR-28-' 95. 18: 10.
ID: ~rr·
TIMES: OP/ED
TEL N0:212-556-4100
I'
SL: 02FOST
QU: OHOLD-EOT
HJ: 024.13/0181
FM:
FG: xed
BY: PC
;06/27,10:13 OP: JUJUST;06/28,19:13, FR: OHOLD-EOT ;06/28,10:04.
NOTE:.Oped/Fcster/Sunjjj
.
PRINTED: 19:16 28-JUN-95
Dr. Fo~ter, Please note ~o~e brief queries preceded by **· could we have any
additions or changes written on the galley and faxed back by 2 p.m. tomorrow?
Thanks very much, .. Julie Just (212) 556-1936; fax: 556-4100.
'
or.· H~nry
Foster is [**how should i.d. read?]
<gfbyline>Or. Henry Foster(MC]
<ws>W<gfsmcap>A~HINGTON[MC).
<gfdm>M[MC]y father used to tell me,
..... When one door is closed,
another one opens.''.That is
my personal postscript to the events
of this past week. On consecutive
~· ·
days, 57 senators - a strong major-, '
.........
/{),.....,.,.....,. :
ity - voted to confirm my nomina.
tion to ba surgeon general. But a
small m~nority, through the wily use
of senate rules, prevailed, and the
matter was not allowed to come to a
vote.
The question posed to me most.
often in the last few d~ys is, ~ .. Are
· you bitter?'' And my answer is. always No. But I am deeply disap:pointed in the process.&R~ Within 72
hours of my nomination by President Clinton in February,· qroups opposed to abortion were mobilizing to
stop me simply because I support a
·woman's riqht to choose.
I found the attacks.on my character especially repugnant~ People and
publications like this newspaper who
didn't know
from Adam took a
misstatement - my underestimate
of the number of abortions I had
performed in a 3S•year career • e*~and
inferred that I was some kind of
shady character •. In my entire professional' life, aa' a doctor, teacher
and administrator, never once . has
my cr~dibility been an issue.
During the early ·days of the media
onslaught following my nomination,
if I misspoke, there was no intent to
me
(
�APR-28-' 95 18: 11
ID: NY TIMES,: OP/ED
"
.
{
TEL N0:212-555-4100
1:1953 P03 ·
,,.. •
PAGE:
SLUG: 02F9ST
deceive, and I 'repeat,edly apoloqiz~d·
for the mistake. Where I_ come from,
a man is given the benef"it of the
doubt. Btit in Washington a simple
slip of memo±-y can be fatal, so I've~
.learned.
· I also found the politicization of
the nomination deaply disturbing; I
acc,epted the nomination for one reason. I wanted to do something about
improving the health of millions of
Americans, especially children and
young people who are suffering simply because of a lack of education
and access to adequate care.
Unfortunately, the process degenerated into an arm-wrestling match.
among Presidential hopefuls who,
apparently_· believe that the only way
they can reach- the White House is. to
demon~trate to the anti~choice
movement how tough they are. It is
an interesting comment .on politics
and the -media that .the crowned win_ners ot this process are the politicians- who made the cleverest use of
Sena-te rules. I- was hoping the vic- ·
tors ·.might instead be the millions of
Americans who need a Surgeon-Gen-. ·
eral to speak out on. ways to st~p the
spread-of AIDS, drug.abuse, violence
and teen pregnancy.
_I want to urge the young people in
·this country, however, not to lose
faith in the system or in the honor·of
public service~ When I was growing
up, **whe~ei we always had a copy of the
constitution in our home. My father
often told me that my freedom and
justice were locked inside the Constitution - and that the key to unlocking it was an educated mind.
' I still have. faith in those words
and in this country. GOOd came from
this px:ocess. Despite all the noise, we
were .able.to bring the crucial issue
of teen pregnancy to the forefront •
. Every day I almost 2, 800 ,girls ** aeeeraift~-~e-whemr- .
111.,... .., ull'"l~·· ~I"· o
• ~~ oi~• .o, ..... ,,.. IIIII N. .HfH...... ·I~
2
/
I
'
�APR-28-'9~
18:11
ID:NY
T~MES:
OP/ED
SLUG: 02FOST
TEL N0:212-556-4100
1:1953 P04
PAGE:
3
get'pregnant •.. In 1990, ••a~e-£i~~~es-ava*%ae%e~fe~-a-mere-reeeft~-year~more
than·l million girls between the.ages of 15 .and
19 ·became pregnant. This i,s bad ~or
the girls - and the b.oys wh.o may
.
unwillingly become fathers ~••eeme-s~eh~ and
even worse for their children. We
know that children born to teen. agers are more likely to have serious health problems, and are more
likely to be poor. About,80 percent of
children born to teen-age ·parents
who dropped out of school live in
poverty.
,
If we want to prevent teen pregnancy, and reduce the number of
abortions in this country, we must
start,at th9 source •. We must provide
young people with a good education,
.comprehensive health services and
more employment opportunities.eR~ . As
the President likes to .say, ~~we must
give them something to say yes to.''
That is the core idea of the ~~I
,
.
Have a Future'' program, ** p~s-br~efiy-deser~8e~wfta~-pre~ram-ee"~~&~ed-ef
which I started in Nashville, Tn.,. in 1987 and
·
which is thriving.today.••eerree~;-s~!:i%-eyeil'l~il The prO"'·
· gram has proved so. successful that
it was recognized as one of President
.Bush's .... Thousand Points of Light''
in 1992. Former parti~ipants in the
program are attending college in
unparalleled nwnbers.** eemt'area-~e-~:h.e!:r-peerl!-er.-hew-meae'ttrea-.::.l11'\Petrai:~e%ea.&.~There is n~ reason the successes,
of this program cannot be duplicated
nationwide. ,But the problem cannot
be approached froin the top down. ·
All decisions should be.carried out at
the lo'cal level, and everyone has a
role to play- parents~ grandpar-.
ents, clergy, business leaders, volunteers.
One thing any program must do,
however, is .. build self-esteem among
young peopl,e and give them a positive vision of.the future. Too many
children today believe their future
holds nothing for them but having
�..
APR-28-' 95 18:.12
.I
ID: NY TH1ES: OP/ED.
TEL N0:2l2-556-4100:
1:;953 P05 ·
...
PAGE:
"SLUG: 02FOST
·babies. That's a dead.:..end dream,
and it•s got toba replaced with a
dream of unlimited achievement •.
so, we must offe~young people
three things. First, basic informatl011 about health, human sexuality·
and drug and alcohol abuse. They
rieed to understand the consequence
ot •arly sexual activity and other
risky behavior.
.
_
Second, we must make available
an array of adolescent health services, with suport- from the community and parents. we·must stress. abstinence from sexual activity, but forteens who chose to be sexually·active
we must provide birth control. To do
otherwise is irresponsible •
.Third and most important, wemust help young people improve
their options by improving not just . .
.their job skills but their self-reliance ·
and sense of values. Projects like .. ·
·helpini teen-agers .star.t businesses
in the r neighborhoods can address
both these goals at once.
The important thing to remember
1
is that each community must find its
own way. What works in Nashville
may not work in Chicago or in Newark. There is.no monopoly on.qood·
·ideas. What is needed is national
coordination
the sharing, testinq
arid evaluation of local efforts so. we
can decide what works.
Preventinq teen pregnancy was
qoinq to be the focal point ofl .my
wprk as Surgeon General. The Presi- .
dent and I are discussing another
platform that.would allow me to
pursue this mission. I stand ready to
serve,· though I know I.don't have all'
the·answers. Another'door is opening, and we will have tp walk· t;hrough
it together:
<:ws>[OBX) ·
.r
(END) ·
in
4
~
............ " '""' ........
�.--------
-- ----------------
PAGE
2
3RD STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format.
Copyright 1995 The New York Times Company
The New York Times
July 2, 1995, Sunday, Late Edition - Final
SECTION: Section 4; Page 11; Column 2; Editorial Desk
LENGTH: 938 words
HEADLINE: Mangled by Politics
BYLINE: By Henry Foster; Henry Foster, a physician, is professor of Obstetrics
and Gynecology at Meharry Medical college in Nashville, Tenn.
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
BODY:
My father .used to tell me, "When one door is clos.ed, another one opens." That
is my personal postscript to the story of my nomination as Surgeon General.
On consecutive days, 57 senators -- a strong majority -- approved a full
vote on my confirmation. But a small minority, through the wily use of Senate
rules, prevailed, and the matter was not allowed.to come to a vote.
The question posed most often in the last few days is, "Are you bitter?" My
answer is always no. But I am deeply disappointed in the political process.
Within 72 hours of the time President Clinton nominated me in February, groups
opposed to abortion were mobilizing to stop me simply because I support a
woman's right to choose.
I found the attacks on my character especially repugnant. People and media
organizations that knew nothing about me took a misstatement -- my underestimate
of the number of abortions I had performed in a 38-year career -- and inferred
that I was some kind of shady character. In my entire professional life not once
has my credibility been an issue.
During the early days of the media onslaught, if I misspoke there was no
intent to deceive, and I repeatedly apologized for the mistake. Where I come
from, a man is given the benefit of the doubt. But in Washington a simple slip
of memory can be fatal, so I've learned.
I also found the politicization of the nomination deeply disturbing. The
President nominated me for one reason. We both wanted to do something about
improving the health of millions of Americans, especially children and young
people who are suffering simply because of a lack of education and access to
adequate care.
Unfortunately, the process degenerated into an arm-wrestling match among
Republican Presidential hopefuls who apparently believe that the only way they
can reach the White House is to demonstrate to the anti-choice movement how
tough they are. The crowned winners turn out to be the politicians who made the
cleverest use of Senate rules. I was hoping the victors might be the millions of
Americans who need a Surgeon General to speak out on ways to stop the spread of
AIDS, drug abuse, violence and teen-age pregnancy.
�.---------
- - -
- -
PAGE
3
The New York Times, July 2, 1995
Despite all this, young people should not lose faith in the system and in
the honor of public service. When I was growing up in Pine Bluff, Ark., we
always had a copy of the Constitution in our home. My father often told me that
my freedom and justice were locked inside the Constitution -- and that the key
to unlocking it was an educated mind.
I still have faith in those words and in this country. Good came from this
process. Despite all the noise, we were able to bring the crucial issue of
teen-age pregnancy to the forefront.
In 1991, the most recent year for which figures are available, more than one
million girls ~n America between the ages of 15 and 19 became pregnant. Not only
is this bad for the girls -- and the fathers who are not ready for a family -it is even worse for their children. We know that children born to teen-agers
are more likely to have serious health problems and are more likely to be poor
than children born to older parents. About 80 percent of children born to
teen-agers who dropped out of school live in poverty.
If we want to prevent teen-age pregnancy and reduce the number of abortions, we
must start at the source. We must provide young people with a good education,
comprehensive health services and more employment opportunities.
That is the core idea of the 11 I Have a Future 11 program, which I started in
the Nashville housing projects in 1987 and is still working; in 1992 it was
recognized as one of President George Bush's 11 Thousand Points of Light. 11 An
impressive number of the program's graduates are staying in school and going on
to college.
These successes can be duplicated nationwide. But the problem cannot be
approached from the top down. All decisions should be carried out at the local
level, and everyone has a role to play -- parents, grandparents, clergy,
business leaders, volunteers.
One thing any program must do is give young people a positive vision of the
future. Too many children believe that their future holds nothing but having
babies. That dead-end dream has to be replaced with a dream of unlimited
achievement.
So, we must offer young people three things. First, basic information about
health, sexuality and drug and alcohol abuse. They need to understand the
consequence of early sexual activity and other risky behavior.
Second, we must make available an array of adolescent health services, with
support from the community and parents. We must stress abstinence from sexual
activity, but for teen-agers who chose to be sexually active we must provide
birth control. To do otherwise is irresponsible.
Third, and most important, we must help young people
opportunities by improving not just their job skills but
self-reliance and sense of values. Projects like helping
businesses in their neighborhoods can address both goals
improve their
also their
teen-agers start
at once.
Each community must find its own way. What works in Nashville may not work
in Chicago or Newark. What is needed is national coordination in the sharing,
�PAGE
'·
4
The New York Times, July 2, 1995
testing and evaluation of local efforts so that we can decide what works.
Preventing teen-age pregnancy was going to be the focal point of my work as
Surgeon General. The President and I are discussing another platform that would
allow me to pursue this mission. I stand ready to serve, though I know I don't
have all the answers. Another door is opening, and I look forward to walking
through it.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: July 2, 1995
�THE WHITE HOUSE
)
WASHINGTON,
.
/
/
OFFICE OF
.SPEECHWRITING.
PHONE: (202) 456-2777 .
FAX: (202) 456-5709
RECEIVER PHONE:
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Unauthorized use of these materials is subject to federal prosecll:tion ·
\ ...
�RPR-30-'95 10:48
'
/\
. SL: 02FOST
ID: NY TIMES: OP/ED .
l:t964 P02
TEL N0:212-556-4100
•
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,FM: 02FOST.
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;06/30,11:35
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BY: PC
;06'{27,10:13 OP: JUJUST;06/30,11:32
NOTE: OpedfFoste~/Sunfjj/hg
PRINTED: 11:38 30-JUN-95
Henry-Pes~erT-HTBT.,-il!li-Prefesser-ef-
ees~e~r2:es-arui-6yfteeei'egy-a~-Me--
.
1'larry~MeeU:eai""eeiiege-t:n-Nasl\v2:lleT--
'i'eftft:r.
<ws>W<qfsmcap>ASHINGTON[MC]
<gfbyline>Dr. Hent"y Foster(MC].
<gfdm>M(MC)'y father used to
·
tell me, ~'When
one door is closed,\
another .one
opens~ • • That. is
my personal postscript.to the story of'mynom'iriation
as Surgeon General.
<us98>0n consecutive days, 57 senators
a strong majority- approved a·full
·
vote on my confirmation• But a small
·minority, through the wily use of senate rules, prevailed, and the matter
· was not allowed to come to a vote. <uslOO>
,The ques1;ion posed most often in
the last few,days is, .... Are you bitter? ' • .. My answer is always no. But I
am deeply disappointed in·the political process. Within 72 hours of the
time President Clinton nominated
me i'n February, groups opposed to
abortion were mobilizinq.to stop me
simply because I support a woman's
right to choose.
·
.
<us98>I found the. attacks on m.y character ~·fj;o·
especiall,Y repugnant •. People and me- . ~ _, o_,,M~
dia o:~;qanizations..,~~t knew nothing
..
./'~~v r ;-- ..· /
about me took a ~isstatentent - my · ·
.
. ·_,
.
.· ·
·
underestimate of the number of abor•
·
tiona I had performed in a 38-year
career - and inferred that I was
some kind of shady character. In my
entireprofesaional· life, as a doctor,
teacher and administrator,. never
<uslOO>
once ha,s my credibility been an issue.
Ourinq the early days of the media
onslaught, if I misspoke there was no
intent to deceive, and· I. repeatedly
~pologized for the mistake. Where I
·come from, a man ~s gi~en the- bene-
,.
.
�~PR-30-'95
10:48
ID:NY TIMES:. OP/ED
------
tt964 P03
TEL N0:212-556-4100
. ~................ ~.
SLUG: 02FOST
PAGE:
'\
fit ot'tlie doubt. But in Washington a
simple slip of ~emory can be fatal, .
.
so· I've learned.
· ·
·
· ·
· I also found the politicization of the,. . A ·-A· · .-/1- fJ
nomination deeply disturbing. :I ae- '1/u... ?~ ./fl ~~
~ the ne'Rii.flartd:on for one rea• · ·
· . .· ·
.
son. ~ waffiato. do something about
-- We bo~
improvinq the health of millions of
.'
Aluericans, especially children and
,young people who are suffering.sim- ·,
ply because of a lack of education
and-access to adequate care-.
Unfortunately, the process degenerated into an arm-wrestling match
amonq Republican Presidential
hopefuls who apparently believe that
the only way they can ~each the
White House is to demonstrate to the
· anti-choice movement how touqh
they are. It is an inter~stinq comment on politics and the media that
the crowned winners turn out to bethe .poli_ticians who made the cleverest use of Senate rules. I was hopinq·
the ,victors might be the millions of
Americans who need a surgeon General to speak out on ways to stop the
spread of AID~, drug abuse, violence
and teen-age pregnancy.
·
·
Despite all this, younq ,people
should n?t lose faith in the system
and in the honor of public service.
When I was 9rowinc; up in Pine· Bluff,·
Ark., we_ always had a copy of the
~onstitution in our home. My father . \
often told me that my freedom and
justice 111ere locked inside the constitution- and that the' key·to unlock- .
inq it was an educated mind.
<us97>I still have faith in those words and
in this coun-t;ry. Good came from this ·
process. Despite all the noise, we were
\-.'1
able to' bring the crucial issue of teen- ~ _ .
., . · · crt'<L 'l
age pregnancy to th._e forefront. <uslOO>ve,7
IIIJPfOY--'""' .
In 199,!, the most recent year for
/~\
hi
fiqures are available, ••eerree~i' ~ .
.
·
one million qirle in America
·
·
een the ages of 15 and 19 be· .
·
·
/Ce. \,· .
�RPR-30~'95
10:49
ID:NY TIMES: OP/ED
TEL N0:212-556-4+00
1:*964 P04
--------.,..------··"·····-·
SLUG: 02FOS'l'
PAGE:
. \
3
came pregnant. Not only is this bad
for the qirls - and the fathers who
are not ready for ~ family - it is
even worse for their children. We
know that children born-to teenagers are more likely to have serious·
health problems and are more likely
to be poor than children born to older
parents. About so percent of children
born to teen-agers who dropped out
of school live in poverty.
[Tal
'
. '
<qfdi>I[MC]f we want to prevent teen-age
preqnancy and reduce the
riumber of abortions, we must
start at the·source. We must
, provide young people with· a
good education, comprehensive health services and more employment.opportunitles.
· That is. the core idea of the .'.'I Have
a Future''. program, which I started
.
in the Nashville housing pro~t~ in .
~...K_,'/I)a.
1987 and is still tb~i"i~t ~\A<T,
.J.
proved so successful that it was recognized as one of PresidentGeorge
Bush's ":'Thousand Points of Light••
in . 1992. An impressive number of the
program's graduates are staying in
school ·and qoinq on to colleqe.
These successes can be duplicated
nationwide. But the problem·cannot
be approached from the top down. All .
decisions should be carried out at the
local level 1 and everyone has a role to
'play- parents, qrandparents, clerqy, business leaders, volunteers ..
one thinq any program must do is
build self-esteem among young peo·ple and qive them a positive vision of
the future • 'l'oo many childr.en be.lieve · at their-future holds nothinq
j .
·
but abies. Tha
ream has
· ;vxvlAJJ
to be replaced with a dream of unlimited achievement.
so, we must offer young people.
three thinC;Js. First, basic information
about health, sexuality a,nd drug and
'
..
·,.
I
. I
�APR-30-'95 10:50
ID:NY TIMES:·QP/ED
f:t964 P05
TEL N0:212-556-4100
............
'
*~ ....... , . . . _ _ . ~~.._.~.~~- -~
.
PAGE:
SLUG:· 02FOST
alcohol abuse. They n.eed to under- .
stand the consequence of early sexual activity and other risky behavior.
<us97>second, ~e must make available an
array of adolescent health services, ·
wit~ support from the qommunity and
parents:. We,must stress abstinence
from sexual activity, bu.t for teenagers who chose.to be sexually active
we must provide birth control. To do
otherwise is irresponsible.<uslOO>
Third, 'and most'important, we
must help young people improve
their opportunities by improving not
'just their job skills but also their self~
reliance and sense of values. .
·
Projects like helping teen-agers .
start businesses in their neighborhoods can address both goals at once.
Each communitymust find its own
way. What works in Nashville may
not work in Chicago or Newark.
What is needed is national coordination
the sharing, testing and evaluation of local eftorts so that we can
decide what works.
·
·
Preventing teen~age pregnancy
was going to be the focal point of my
work as Surgeon General. The President and 'I are discussing another
platform that would allow me to pursue this mission. I stand ready to
serve, though I know I don•t have all
the answers. Another door is open- /- ·f~
inq 81 a~oqk formi'f'd to walk1ng ~ e i>
through it. ••-et--seme-e'tlel'lt-9}{~ ~- <ws> [OBX)
4
in
.
Wa 11:. +h .rovJ t,
(END)
.(
.
if -hu-e+ke}';
-·
�THE WHITE HOUSE
.I
WASHINGTON
OFFICE~OF
SPEECHWRITING.
PHONE: (202) 456-2777
FAX: (202) 456-5709 .
''
I
~ 7?~
TO:
FROM:.
7~/~
RECEIVER FAX:
'RECEIVER PHONE:
~~v-z...o~~
~ ~_-_2_2__!--==S~----'-----
------------------~-----------------
NUMBER OF PAGES (INCLUDING COVER SHEET): _ _:------'--:--
COMMENTS: --~------------------~~--~------~~-
***WARNING***
. Unauthorized use of these Il}aterials is subject fo federal prosecution
�-~---·-=~=--:-.:-7""'"
f=\PR-28-' 95 18: 10
____
......,..""'"""""'-"""""ili*iWtiF......_iili5&ilill<llli!Milil*iilll'illlllilllliil-d'iiliiiili\t#liiiiWHIIIiililll!ftffld!!f!ii!iliilllililiiiili'liiill_liiii&iiiitiHiliiiliii'itt~moWI!llll§iill'l~illllbllAAi!l&\'iilil'l!'i!AA't;m'!D/'iiml<t.)B'rii'i!:Wif¥fVM¥t!41fifilli"i!l\lll.
l,H'~:.lli\i~~~
ID:l'"'
TIMES·. OP,/ED.
' I
. HO: 212-556-411?10
TEL
~
''
-- --
1:*953 P02 .
>1.-l•·loi_;.~,.. .. .D .. ~d.
F"M' . . . . . . . .IIbM
0: ()
SL: 02FOST. QU:. OHOLD-EDT
HJ:" 024~13/0181 · FM:
FG: xed
BY: PC
;06/27,10:13 OP: ,JUJU_ST;06f2B,19;13 FR: OHOLD-EDT ;06/29,10:04
'NOTE: Oped/Foster/Sunfjj
PRINTED: 19:16 28-JUN-95
,\
·or. Foster, Please note some brief queries preceded by **· could we have any
additions or changes written on the galley and faxed back by 2 p.m~ tomorrow?
Thanks very much, Julie Just .(212) .556-1,936;· -fax: 556-4100,.
·
froFe~sor o~ ob.s-l-e.+r:c.sv;..,~fG'v1ec-'IDfY
Dr~ Henry Foster is [**how should i. d. read? J Mel-accrr"f Medt'c~ 1 C.o 1/VJe d.-pr~s,'J.e/1/+
·
·
.
·
t!//AJ.fDJUt.s Y.e,c.e,.A· Notrt/ llee fd.,. ~~~' ~Af~.-q)
<gfbyline>Dr. Heriry Foster[MC] .
<ws>W<gfsmcap>ASHINGTON[MC)
-<gfdm>M[MC)y .father used to tell me,
..... When one door is closed~
anoth~r one opens. ' ,· That is
'
my perSonal postscript to the events
of tbis pillst.1iie~. On consecut1.ve
OlP'iF§Z
I
~
fto.-;J
•
.
~~
- ,
days, 57 senators - a strong major- ·
,
·
ity - vo'ted ,to_l"t':i5utbrm my nomin:clall~-.) cc. f"u41v~e
·
·
~· ·
tion tO be SUrgeOn general :""lfut a
(J II
_ I I -fl
. /) f\ {
smal-l minority, through the wily use . .Q ~ ~~~ne«-JL
of senate rules, prevailed, and the
matter was not allowed to come to a
vote.
The question posed to me most
often in_the last few daysis, ..... Are
you bitter?' 1 And my answer is 'al- . ' . . . Y
ways No. But I am deeply dis a~ Of. pointed. in the process. e:K~-vrrthin 7 2
hours· of my no_mination by President Clinton in February, ;roups opposed_ to abortion were mobilizing to,
stop me simply because I support a
,woman • s r iqht to choose~
·
I found the attacks on my character: especially repugnant. People and .
. .
.
b J-+
·
'publi~ations like this newspaper who {(,Je~ N trfh•IJ' 'l 0 #1'1~
dUn' t Jatow me fx om Adam took a . .
.
·
·
· .
misstatement - my underestimate . . .
. t) [<...
of the number of abortions I had
------- . ··
performed in a 38-year' career - e:K:f"and
.
, inferred that I. ,was some kind; of
. shady ~haracter. In my entire .professioriaL life, as a doctor, teacher
and administrator, never once has
my credibility been an issue.
During tha.early days of the media
onslaught following my nomination,
~
if I misspoke, there was no intent to
�RPR-28-'95 18:11
ID:NY,TIMES: OP/ED
TEL
·
N0:212~556-4100
'
--~----------------~--~~~-----------
l:t953 P03 ·
........ ,
llt ...... , , .... ~ .. -·~1"·'
·PAGE:
SLUG: 02FOST '
deceive, and I repeatedly apologized
for the mistake. Where I come from,
a man ls given the benefit of the
doubt. But in Washington a simple·
·slip of memory~ can be fatal, so I •ve
learned.
'
.
. ·,I also found the politicization of
the' nomination·deaply disturbing. I
accepted the-nomination for one reason. I wanted to do some~hing about
improving the health of millions of ·
Am~ricans, especially children and
young people who are suffering simply' because of a lack of education
and access to adequate care.
Unfortunately, the process degenerated into an arm-wrestling match
among Presidential'hopefuls who
apparently believe that the only way
they can reach the White House is to
demonstrate .to the anti-choice
ll\C•'trement how tough they are. It is
ar& interesting comment on politics .
and the media that the crowned winners of this process are the politi1 cians who .made the cleverest use of
senate-rules. I was hoping the vic. tors might ins;ead be the millions of
Americans who need a S~rgeon General to speak out on ways to stop the
spread of AIDS, drug abuser violence
and teen pregnancy •.
I want to urge the young people in
·this country, however, not to lose
faith in the system or in the- honor of
public service. When I was growing
up, **whel'ei ~ we always had a copy of the,
constitution in ·our home.· My father
often told me that my freedom and
justice were locked inslde.the Constitution - and that the key to unlo~king it was an educated'mind.
I still have faith in those words
and in this country. Good came from
this process. Despite all thenoise, we
were able to bring the crucial is.sue
of teen pregnancy tq, the· forefront. ·
i~ 'f.·pe.. "B lcJ-ff'J f\v--
I
Efery d&j
......
1
aJ most
:ia
1
"'£;
90° qi l"ll!r**
('C}
aeeereliftl!-~e-whem~
k
s
Qr4S:q '
''M.:~
........ - .... ,... .... ~ ••~
2
�APR-28-'95- 18:11
'\.
ID:NY TIMES: OP/ED
SLUCH 02FOST
TE~
N0:212-556-4100
l:i953_P04
PAGE:
3
.
There is no reason the successes
of this program cannot be duplicated
nationwide. But the problem cannot
be approached from the top· down~ .
All decisions should be carried out at
· the local level, and everyone has a
r~le to play - parents~ grandparents, clergy, ·business leaders, .volunteers.
, ,·
One t.hinq any program must do,
however, is. build self-esteem among
young people and give th_em a posi- ,
tive vision of the future. Too many
children today believe their ·future
holds n9thinq.for them but having
(.
�ID:~H
APR-28-''35 18:12
Tit1ES: OP/ED
TEL
N0:212-556~4100
1:*953 · P05 ·
''""'"""" ...
·PAGE:
SLUG: 02FOST
I
~
babies. That's a dead-end dream,
and it's got to ba replaced with a dream of unlimited.achievement.
So, we must offer young people
three things. First, basic information about health, human sexuality ·
and druq and alcohol abuse. They
need to understand the consequence
ot early sexual activity and other
risky behavior.
Second, we must make available
an array of adoleacent health services, with suport from the community and parents. we must stress abstinence from sexual activity, but for _
teens who chose to be sexually active
we must provide birth control. To do
_otherwise is irreaponsible.
- Third and most important, we
must help young people improve
their options by improving not just ·
their job skills but their self-reliance
and sense of values.· Projects like
helping teen-agers start businesses·
in their neighborhoods· can address
both these goals
once.
The·important thing to remember
is that each community must find its.
own way. What works in Na~hville
may not work in Chicago or in New, ark. There is no monopoly on good
ideas. What is needed· is national
coordination in the sharinq, te~ting
and ·evaluation of local efforts so we
can decide what works.
Preventinq teen preqnancy was
qoinq to b~ the focal point of my
work as Surgeon General. The President and I are discussinq another
platform that would allow me to
pursue this mission. I stand reaay· to
serve, though_ I knowi don't have all
the ·answers. Another door'is opening, and we will have to walk through
it together. ·
<ws>[OBX]
at
.
(END.)
·l-
4
�.
APR-30-'95 10:47
ID:NY TIMES:
~P/ED
TEL N0:212-556-'4100
,., .... ~ .........
I
1:1964 P01
_..............
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.
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.
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5~5._-c:·
(t ,,.) ~~ lCf.,6
!
,
.
. Page l
)
of _;,_._
.
I
�THE NEW YORK TIMES OP·ED SUNDAY,] UL Y 2, 1995
Mangled by Politics
By Henry Foster
Te'
v
INGTON
. it has
cians to
hey are
ays prele pack.
self.
: to his
against
:elf. You
, the perICe he is
Proteus.
-election
us politiIrd Mor! in 1981,
1e ingen~linton to
ltehouse,
1or was
.und him
es in his
: in His
r. Clinton
which he
, and re~r had to
me thing.
:nted Bill
tmpaign,'.'
i ;ibility.
i 7-year-old
i n working
1t, Senator
; that last
t gathering
outmaneu'4; ·~ .-;:
'}·."
r1i
WASHINGTON
y father used to
tell me, "When
..{lne door is closed,
another
one
opens." That is
my personal postscript to the story of my nomination
as Surgeon General.
On consecutive days, 57 senatorsa strong majority - approved a full
vote on my confirmation. But a small
minority, through the wily use of Senate rules, prevailed, and the matter
was not allowed to come to a vote.
The question posed most often in
the last few days is, "Are you bitter?" My answer is always no. But I
am deeply disappointed in the political process. Within 72 hours of the
time President Clinton nominated
me in February, groups opposed to
abortion were mobilizing to stop me
simply because I support a woman's
right to choose.
I found the attacks on my character
especially repugnant. People and media organizations that knew nothing
'about me took a misstatement - my
M
Henry Foster, a physician, is professor of obstetrics and gynecology at
Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn.
underestimate of the number of abortions I had performed in a 38-year
career - and inferred that I was
some kind of shady character. In my
entire professional life not once has
my credibility been an issue.
During the early days of the media
onslaught, if I misspoke there was no
intent to deceive, and I repeatedly
apologized for the mistake. Where I
come from, a man is given the benefit of the doubt. But in Washington a
simple slip of memory can be fatal,
so I've learned.
I also found the politicization of the
nomination deeply disturbing. The
President nominated me for one rea-
My job title is
less important
than our kids.
son. We both wanted to do something
about improving the health of millions
of Americans, especially children and
young people who are suffering simply because of a lack of education and
access to adequate care.
Unfortunately, the process degenerated into an arm-wrestling match
Trouble Dow-n
On the Farm
among Republican Presidential hopefuls who apparently believe that the
only way they can reach the White
House is to demonstrate to the anti.choice movement how tough they are.
The crowned winners turn out to be
the politicians who made the cleverest
use of Senate rules. I was hoping the
victors might be the millions of Americans who need a Surgeon General to
speak out on ways to stop the spread
of AIDS, drug abuse, violence and
teen-age pregnancy.
Despite all this, young people
should not lose faith in the system
and in the honor of public service.
When I was growing up in Pine Bluff,
Ark., we always had a copy of the
Constitution in our home. My father
often told me that my freedom and
justice were locked inside the Constitution - and that the key to unlocking it was an educated mind.
I still have faith in those words and
in this country. Good came from this
process. Despite all the noise, we were
able to bring the crucial issue of teenage pregnancy to the forefront.
In 1991, the most recent year for
which figures .are available, more
than one million girls in America
between the ages of 15 and 19 became pregnant. Not only is this bad
for the girls - and the fathers who
are not ready for a family - it is
even worse for their children. We
know that ' children born to teenagers are more likely to have serious
health problems and are more likely
to be poor than children born to older
parents. About 80 percent of children
born to teen-agers who dropped out
of school live in poverty.
three things. First, basic information
about health, sexuality and drug and
alcohol abuse. They need to understand the consequence of early sexual activity and other risky behavior .
Second, we must make available an
f we want to prevent teen-age array of adolescent health services,
pregnancy and reduce the with support from the community and
number of abortions, we must parents. We must stress abstinence
start at the source. We must from sexual activity, but for teenprovide young people with a· agers who chose to be sexually active
.
good education, comprehen- we must provide birth control. To do
sive health services and more em- otherwise is irresponsible.
ployment opportunities.
Third, and most important, we
That is the core idea of the" 1 Have must . help young people improve·
a Future" program, which I started their opportunities by improving not
in the Nashville housing projects in just their job skills but also their self1987 and is still working; in 1992 it reliance and sense of values.:
was recognized as one of President Projects like helping teen-agers
George Bush's "Thousand Points of start businesses in their neighborLight." An impressive number of the hoods can address both goals at once:···
program's graduates are staying in
Each community must find its own
school and going on to college.
way. What works in Nashville may.
These successes can be duplicated not work in Chicago or Newark.
nationwide, But the problem cannot What is needed is national coordinabe approached from the top down. All tion in the sharing, testing and evaludecisions should be carried out at the ation of local efforts so that we can
local level, and everyone has a role to decide what works.
play - ·parents, grandparents, clerPreventing teen-age pregnancy :
gy, business leaders, volunteers.
was going to be the focal point of my ·
One thing any program must do is work as Surgeon General. The Presi- ·
give young people a positive vision of dent and I are discussing another ·
the future. Too many children be- platform that would allow me to pur- ,
lieve that their future holds nothing sue this mission: I stand ready to ,
but having babies. That dead-end serve, though I know I don't have all ,
dream has to be replaced with a the answers. Another door is open-·
dream of unlimited achievement.
ing, and I look forward to walking·:
So, we must offer young people through it.
0: .
I
.,,
late 1970's, minor league baseball
,.
l'" " ' ' ~·t'!
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Terry Edmonds
Creator
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Office of Speechwriting
James (Terry) Edmonds
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1995-2001
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36090" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7763294" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Identifier
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2006-0462-F
Description
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Terry Edmonds worked as a speechwriter from 1995-2001. He became the Assistant to the President and Director of Speechwriting in 1999. His speechwriting focused on domestic topics such as race relations, veterans issues, education, paralympics, gun control, youth, and senior citizens. He also contributed to the President’s State of the Union speeches, radio addresses, commencement speeches, and special dinners and events. The records include speeches, letters, memorandum, schedules, reports, articles, and clippings.
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
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William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Extent
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635 folders in 52 boxes
Text
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Original Format
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Paper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
6-22-95 Dr. Henry Foster Statement (and Op-Ed) Edison, NJ [1]
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Office of Speechwriting
James (Terry) Edmonds
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2006-0462-F
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Box 18
<a href="http://www.clintonlibrary.gov/assets/Documents/Finding-Aids/2006/2006-0462-F.pdf" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7763294" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
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William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Format
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Adobe Acrobat Document
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Reproduction-Reference
Date Created
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12/9/2014
Source
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42-t-7763294-20060462F-018-006-2014
7763294