WI: HW nominated C. Everett Koop to be Secretary of Health and Human Services

I'm not sure what the partisan make-up of the Senate was at the time. Koop might have some trouble getting support from conservatives, not just because of his policies on AIDS education, but also because he signed off on that report saying that abortion was not credibly linked to mental-health problems.
 
THE EARLY DAYS OF AIDS, AS I REMEMBER THEM

C. EVERETT KOOP (written in 2011)

PDF file —> https://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/sites/default/files/The Early Days of AIDS, As I Remember Them.pdf

‘ . . . I never mentioned the use of condoms as a preventive measure against AIDS without first stressing the much better – and much safer – alternatives of abstinence and/or monogamy. . . ’
He’s not a revolutionary.

C. Everett Koop is a very middle-of-the-road fellow, maybe even the conservative side of middle-of-the-road.
 
From the National Review's obituary of Koop...

Koop effectively argued on behalf of a vigorous fight against AIDS as a public health catastrophe, when some others were squeamish about the subject.

"Some others"? I guess if "some others" is defined as "the president and party that this magazine worships", yeah.

link
 
He’s not a revolutionary.

C. Everett Koop is a very middle-of-the-road fellow, maybe even the conservative side of middle-of-the-road.
If the overton window was more moderate, I'd agree, but when you look at the things that Falwell was saying...

Koop prioritized public health over religion in a time when religious leaders were preaching divine retribution. Koop was what the evangelicals should be.
 
. . that Falwell was saying...
To me, where he’s saying that God is punishing gay persons, it’s like using childhood leukemia as evidence that God hates children, it’s preposterous on its face. And there’d be a hundred other examples.

and I don’t know why ol’ Jer should monopolize ‘80s discussion on safer sex, for example . . .

We also had Dr. Ruth, a friendly grandmother type who gave sexual advice! She was kind of a celebrity in the ‘80s.
 
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