"Judge
Judy"
on
Drug
Users
and
Their
Families:
"Let
'Em
Die"
11/19/99
Fox Network TV's "Judge" Judy Sheindlin shocked an Australian luncheon audience this week on the subject of syringe exchange, which she called a "liberal indulgence." "Give em dirty needles and let 'em die," she said. It is estimated that there are nearly one million injection drug users in the United States. The use of shared and infected syringes has led to an epidemic of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis among this population, their sexual partners and their children. Nearly every major medical organization in the world, including the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association have endorsed the practice of providing sterile syringes to users. Keith Cylar is Executive Director of Housing Works, an AIDS services and harm reduction agency in New York City. Cylar told The Week Online that what Sheinman is advocating is the willful murder of millions of people. "I assume that she means that if one of her children was unfortunate enough to get themselves addicted to drugs, or to sleep with someone who at one time injected drugs, that she is advocating that her child is not worth saving... even that we ought, as a society, to cause her death. The population at risk here numbers in the millions, including untold numbers of children yet unborn. She is advocating genocide." CONTACT: Fox Network (national), (212) 822-7000 To get the address of your local Fox affiliate, visit http://www.fox.com. Look for your local listings of the time and station that airs Judge Judy in your area by entering your zip code at http://www.gist.com. Judge Judy Sheindlin's website can be found online at http://www.judgejudy.com. We didn't see an e-mail address or general purpose web contact form. You can send her feedback toll-free at 1-888-800-JUDY (5839), or write to P.O. Box 949, Hollywood, CA 90078. There are additional articles on syringe exchange below. To learn much more about this important life-saving measure, visit DRCNet's Syringe Exchange Resources Online at http://www.projectsero.org and the North American Syringe Exchange Network at http://www.nasen.org on the web.
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