September 23, 2011
Lee Introduces Bill to Fight Discrimination Against People Living with HIV
For Immediate Release
Contact
Kristal DeKleer (202) 225-1882
Congresswoman Calls for Repeal of Unfair Criminal and Civil Laws
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced legislation to address the serious problem of discrimination in state criminal and civil laws against those who test positive for HIV. The bill creates incentives and support for states to reform existing policies that use legal authority to target people living with HIV for felony charges and severe punishments for behavior that is otherwise legal or that poses no measurable risk of HIV transmission.
“Laws that place an additional burden on HIV-positive individuals because of their HIV status lag far behind the medical advances and scientific discoveries in the fight against the epidemic,” said Congresswoman Lee. “Instead of progress against the disease and protection for people living with HIV/AIDS, criminalization laws breed fear, discrimination, distrust, and hatred."
"Although our country has made notable advances in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, we have a long way to go,” continued Lee. “The decriminalization of HIV/AIDS is one way we can reduce stigma in our communities, while fighting the epidemic in a rational, holistic, and truly rights-based fashion."
The laws targeted by the legislation are those that are inconsistent with evidence-based initiatives and are at direct odds with U.S. public health goals and HIV prevention strategies and programs. The bill requires federal and state officials to review federal and state laws and policies that involve criminal cases against people living with HIV/AIDS, and to provide support for education and reform initiatives.
"Although our country has made notable advances in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, we have a long way to go,” continued Lee. “The decriminalization of HIV/AIDS is one way we can reduce stigma in our communities, while fighting the epidemic in a rational, holistic, and truly rights-based fashion."
The laws targeted by the legislation are those that are inconsistent with evidence-based initiatives and are at direct odds with U.S. public health goals and HIV prevention strategies and programs. The bill requires federal and state officials to review federal and state laws and policies that involve criminal cases against people living with HIV/AIDS, and to provide support for education and reform initiatives.
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Follow Barbara Lee on Twitter @RepBarbaraLee
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 - scheduled for July 2012 in Washington DC - to be held in the U.S. after 20 years.