Congresswoman Lee and Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen Call for Continued Coordination with the Department of Defense to Update Military HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B Policies
Washington, DC – Congresswomen Lee and Ros-Lehtinen released the following statement in response to the DoD’s “Report to Congressional Defense Committees on Department of Defense Personnel Policies Regarding Members of the Armed Forces with HIV or Hepatitis B”:
We appreciate DoD’s cooperation in ensuring that our Armed Forces operate under comprehensive, medically sound and scientifically accurate HIV and Hepatitis B (HBV) policies that support our national defense strategy and protect the rights of our brave servicemen and women.
However, the recent report to the Congressional Defense Committees raised several concerns about the Department’s personnel policies regarding members of the Armed Forces with HIV or HBV. In order to independently verify the conclusions of the DoD’s report and the specific evidence and reasoning underlying the policies of each military branch, we request the Department’s continued cooperation and support in working to collectively craft policies that protect the rights of our men and women in uniform.
We must continue to work to ensure all government policies governing HIV and HBV, especially those related to deployment, recruitment, retention and discharge, are based upon sound medical science and prevent discrimination and stigma. We look forward to working with the DoD to ensure medically sound and accurate policies are in place for HIV and HBV-positive personnel and recruits. Additionally, we look forward to clarifying and standardizing, where appropriate, differing policies between military branches.
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