Dr. Joycelyn Elders returns to post as teacher, researcher at Univ. of Arkansas med school

Jet, Jan 9, 1995

Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former U.S. Surgeon General who was forced to resign after commenting on teaching school children about masturbation, will return to her job at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.

Dr. Elders had been on unpaid leave from the university since the Senate confirmed her for the Cabinet post in September 1993 (JET, Sept. 27, 1993). Chancellor Harry Ward said Dr. Elders would return to her job as teacher and medical researcher at the state's only medical school.

During a United Nations AIDS Day symposium, Dr. Elders was asked by a panelist what she thought of "a more explicit discussion and promotion of masturbation" in the nation's schools. She replied in part, "..I think that that is something that is a part of human sexuality, and it is a part of something that perhaps should be taught." Dr. Elders' comments led to Clinton asking for her resignation.