Barbara Lee Introduces Bill to Prevent Spread of STIs and HIV in Prisons

For Immediate Release

 

Contact

Ricci Graham, (510) 763-0370

 

Washington, D.C. – This week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced H.R. 2704, The Justice for the Unprotected against Sexually Transmitted Infections among the Confined and Exposed (JUSTICE) Act to allow prisons to provide condoms to incarcerated peoples. The JUSTICE Act also calls for automatic reinstatement or reenrollment in Medicaid for people who test positive for HIV before reentering communities. Congresswoman Lee released the following statement:

 

“As we mark the 30^th anniversary of the first discovery of AIDS cases in the U.S., we can no longer afford to ignore the reality that sexually transmitted infections can be spread within our correctional system. I introduced The JUSTICE Act to provide a comprehensive response to the spread of STIs in correctional facilities.”

 

“Among confirmed AIDS cases in prisons, minorities  account for the majority , with African-Americans 3.5 times more likely than Whites, and 2.5 times more likely than Hispanics to die from AIDS-related causes.

 

“Without uniform prevention, testing, and treatment programs, incarcerated persons living with HIV or other STIs can unknowingly infect others..  Often left untreated, incarcerated persons with STIs are frequently in the more advanced stages of their disease, and once released can be even more costly for the public health system to treat.”

 

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Follow Barbara Lee on Twitter @RepBarbaraLee

 

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Congresswoman Lee, Founding Co-Chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, has been a leader in the fight against the global AIDS and was a strong advocate for the effort to establish a National HIV/AIDS Strategy in the U.S. As a member of the powerful House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations and a fierce advocate of public health, Congresswoman Lee has worked to increase funding and awareness for HIV/AIDS programs and research.  She is the only United States representative on United Nations Development Programme’s Global Commission on HIV and the Law and was the original sponsor of legislation that created PEPFAR, the Global Fund,  and led to the repeal of the Immigration and Travel ban that barred the entry of HIV positive individuals to the U.S.