Congresswoman Lee Issues Statement on Supreme Court Case USAID v. AOSI
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2013
Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661
Washington, D.C.—Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee issued the following statement as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments for U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) v. Alliance for Open Society, International (AOSI). Congresswoman Lee, along with Senators Enzi, Leahy, Daschle and Frist, and Reps. Lowey, Waxman, Berman, and Kolbe, signed an amicus brief in support of AOSI.
“At the heart of this case is a pledge, the Anti-Prostitution Loyalty Oath, which requires groups getting money to fight AIDS from USAID to specifically pledge to be against prostitution. The unfortunate side-effect of this pledge is that groups are barred from reaching one of the most at-risk groups for AIDS: sex workers.
“As a member for the United Nations Global Commission on HIV and the Law, I am deeply concerned that the global response to the AIDS crisis is being undermined by this harmful and discriminatory law. The pledge is counterproductive to the good work that many AIDS organizations are performing, and I’ve introduced legislation to repeal it. I hope the Supreme Court does the right thing and rules in favor of stripping this provision.”
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Congresswoman Lee has been a leader in the fight against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. She co-authored legislation signed into law creating the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in 2000, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, the PEPFAR Reauthorization Act in 2008, and in 2005 legislation addressing the needs of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS. She has also been a leader in the effort to establish a National AIDS Strategy, and is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Human Services & Education with jurisdiction over all domestic HIV/AIDS funding. 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 lead to the repeal of the Immigration and Travel ban that barred the entry of HIV positive individuals. The repeal allowed the International AIDS conference to take place in July 2012 in Washington, D.C., which was held in the U.S. after 20 years.