Sullivan Orders Health Officials to Revise Sex Practices Survey

Health and Human Services Secretary Louis W. Sullivan, responding to criticism from Budget Director Richard G. Darman, ordered public health officials Friday to revise a survey that would probe the sexual lives of thousands of Americans.

Sullivan said he was acting to ensure that the federal government does not inappropriately intrude into the most personal aspects of citizens’ lives, while balancing the need to gain a better understanding of how the deadly AIDS virus is being spread.

In a statement issued by his office, the secretary said his “initial review of the survey instrument does indicate to me potential problems with the tone and content of the questions.”

He said he ordered the Public Health Service to conduct a “thorough review and revision” of the survey to assure it is scientifically sound and “sensitive and appropriate to the proper role of government in gathering information of the most personal nature.”

Sullivan acted after Darman told him in a letter: “I have a great deal of difficulty understanding how many of the questions are related to essential public interests.”

The Office of Management and Budget, which Darman heads, must approve all government surveys as part of the Paperwork Reduction Act, but only for purposes of reducing federal paper work.

The proposed project includes a pilot survey of 2,300 Americans to learn the intimate details of their sexual lives, including when they last had sex, what they did and whether their partner was a man or woman. A subsequent survey, at an estimated cost of $15 million, would question 20,000 people.

The department said the survey is intended to produce a comprehensive picture of Americans’ sexual behavior to help health experts plan strategies to fight the spread of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome virus and other sexually transmitted diseases.