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Loading ...Obama signs HIV/AIDS bill extension; implements lifting of AIDS travel ban
(Washington) President Barack Obama signed an extension of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS bill this morning.
The legislation provides care, treatment and support services to nearly half a million people, most of whom are low-income.Obama also announced that the Department of Health and Human services has finally crafted a new regulation spelling the end to the HIV Travel and Immigration Ban. The regulation goes into effect in January.
“We often speak as if AIDS is going on somewhere else. Often overlooked is that we face a serious HIV/AIDS epidemic of our own,” Obama said prior to the signing. He noted that early on, AIDS was considered a “gay disease, and those who had it were viewed with suspicion.”
This is the fourth re-authorization of the Ryan White bill, and Obama said it was the first time that the bill was not controversial or divisive, and passed with bi-partisian support.
There are 1.1 million living with HIV/AIDs in the United States; more than 56,000 cases are added each year. Obama noted that gay men, though they comprise 2 to 3 percent of the population, make up about half of all new cases, and that African-Americans make up almost half.
Obama said he hoped the lifting of the travel ban would help end the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS. He also said that he and his wife Michelle would be getting a second AIDS test soon.
For 22 years, United States had one of the most restrictive policies on the immigration and travel of HIV-positive people in the world. According to a historian writing for SHAFR.org:
“It compelled all non-citizens to attest that they were HIV-negative before being admitted to the United States for any reason – despite the obvious impossibility of enforcing this provision. At the same time, non-citizens living long-term in the United States were denied permanent resident categorization solely on basis of their HIV-positive status. While invoking its sovereign rights to control immigration and tourism, the U.S. government clung to policies suffused with the ignorance and bias toward HIV-positive people illustrated at the earliest stages of the AIDS pandemic.
“It disregarded the fact that for almost 25 years, it has been common medical knowledge that one cannot contract or transmit HIV casually. AIDS activists asserted that the HIV bar dissuaded immigrants unsure of their HIV status from getting tested; prompted HIV-positive immigrants not to seek to medical treatment until they had full-blown AIDS; and caused HIV-positive people seeking visas to lie on their applications and then enter the U.S. without their medications – situations posing exactly the threats to public health the 1987 ban aimed to prevent.”
In July 2008 as part of an AIDS bill, Congress voted to restore the authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to remove HIV from the immigration and visitor ban list. George W. Bush signed it into law – but HHS had not yet issued a revised rule until today, which meant that those with HIV and AIDS were still banned from the country.
I can’t help but wonder if this is going to quiet some of the dissent that has been heard lately from former supporters of Obama. Many people have been practically throwing a fit because the president seemed to be taking his time in doing many things that he had promised during his campaign. Many former supporters felt distanced because of this fact, their support replaced with distrust.
Now Obama seems to be working on implimenting many wonderful things to advance the rights of all people. Do you think that he is finally beginning to make good on his promises even if it will be slow going with some?
Also, an interesting thing I noticed in the article was that Obama made sure to point out how AIDs was not just a “gay” disease, mentioning how homosexuals actually compose only around half of the population with AIDs and that the other half is largely African American. It’s a step in the right direction. Abolishing those stereotypes surrounding things such as AIDs, is the start of progress, of change.
THANK YOU! Finally we are getting somewhere.
Many questions arise within myself after reading this article. First is there mandatory testing for those persons wanting to immigrate to our country for hep-c and hiv? We say rules have been “too” strict but how strict can one be when it comes to ones life? Are we bieng realistic about what people do behind closed doors? I have worked in the clinical system as an apprentice to the case managers and have seen so many tears of coulda, shoula, woulda. Our health care system is overburdened as it is. Who is going to foot the bills and debt of al the additional costs from even more persons coming forth with deadly disease.Being a gay, Healthy( thank you Jesus) African-American male these things most assuredly concern me? I want much better coditions for my children. All of them. There is no need for the United States to always try and be a hero. We can not always come to the rescue of others. We must make sure our own house is in order first. Also, to all the would be drug users: I highly suggest that you study what you are considering doing and the side affects mmental, physical, and spiritual before you indulge. Satan wears a slipper shoe if you don’t mind he will slip it on you.
Not enough.. O, must end DOMA & DADT. Nothing less.
Remember that Obama is NOT a friend to the gay community:
“States that allow gay marriage can’t force the federal government to provide benefits to those couples, the Obama administration argued Friday.”
Although welcome, this is just another political ploy to pacify the LGBT voting bloc, a group that the democratic has come to realize it can’t afford to lose, while he delays on repealing DADT and DOMA. If he repeals the former before 2012, then maybe he’ll get our continued support and if not, I won’t be one of his supporters. Even if the economic meltdown hadn’t happened, I very much doubt if we would have been any further ahead on DADT. He needs to grow a pair, big time and show some leadership. Just look at the mess with health care reform. He’ll sell his soul to get bipartisan support at the expense of watering down the public option, giving insurance companies a bigger say in who gets coverage. He’s a corporatist and not a progressive. This is NOT the change I voted for.
“George W. Bush signed it into law – but HHS had not yet issued a revised rule until today, which meant that those with HIV and AIDS were still banned from the country.”
I’m sorry … why is Obama getting credit for this?
‘It is nice that Obama is starting to pay attention to the Health of the LGBT community.”
Honestly yodafriend, don’t you think you’re being a little selfish? A.I.D.S. may have been noticed in the LGBT community first but we don’t exactly own the Pandemic.
Could he as President of the entire United states of America not have been also thinking about the other groups in this country and around the World dealing with the specter A.I.D.S. ?
The Heterosexual Men?
The Heterosexual Women?
The Children ( Heterosexual and Homosexual)
I would hope that we can all appreciate what this means for the LGBT community. It’s not that he’s a role model for black people, it’s that he’s restoring the iconic position that the office of the President once held in the days of JFK, of Truman, of Roosevelt, of Lincoln.
We all need to rally against the minority that holds our progress from us. Write Congress and make them pass the legislation that will ensure our equality.
@yodafriend:
I’m with you all the way!
I think what we’re going to see with Obama is a slow start, but a strong finish! Yeah!
It is nice that Obama is starting to pay attention to the Health of the LGBT community. I think Obama will eventually cover everything he promised. I don’t read anything after posting this. So go and attack Obama all you want. I’m going to be watching his last year in office and seeing how our president changed history.
Well what a stark contrast from other Presidents, who hardly mentioned AIDS at all. Damn, he is hot! Smart men are the biggest turn on. And he’s going to get tested again?! Yes, finally a great role model for the black community that is adversly affected by this disease, and ofcourse, the rest of the U.S.A lol.