OTTAWA, ON, February 23, 2000 - Cliff Chadderton, head of The War Amputations of Canada, expressed surprise and disappointment at a comment by Elsie Wayne, Deputy Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, which was critical of the government announcement that veterans would be provided with the Viagra drug.

Mrs. Wayne is reported to have voiced her objections, stating that veterans could "hardly lift a leg".

She is certainly not speaking about the average war amputee whose prowess on the golf course may have diminished somewhat to a combination of having lost a limb and advancing age.

Chadderton stated, however, that medical authorities were unanimous in their opinion that a healthy sex life is conducive to slowing down the aging process. He stated that his office has clinical reports from doctors indicating that the loss of body image, or the ability to maintain "balance," which is an integral part of amputation, could indeed cause sexual dysfunction.

Chadderton, who lost a leg in Normandy in 1944, stated that he had no hesitation in admitting that he was a Viagra user and that the drug had been useful in helping him maintain what he called "a youthful attitude" toward physical activity and life in general. He continued to say that he would be pleased to pay for the drug himself.