U.S. senators
John Kerry and Gordon Smith have secured an attachment to
the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief that
would lift the nation’s ban on travel and
immigration for HIV-positive people, the Human Rights
Campaign announced Monday. The Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations is expected to consider the legislation this week.
U.S. senators
John Kerry and Gordon Smith have secured an attachment to
the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief that
would lift the nation’s ban on travel and
immigration for HIV-positive people, the Human Rights
Campaign announced Monday. The Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations is expected to consider the legislation this week.
“The time
is long overdue to repeal this unjust and sweeping policy
that deems HIV-positive individuals inadmissible to
the United States,” Human Rights Campaign
president Joe Solmonese said in a press release.
“This law emerged out of fear and stigma, and
there remains no public health rationale for treating
HIV more harshly than other communicable
diseases.”
The government
bans HIV-positive foreign nationals, students, and
tourists from entering the U.S. unless they acquire a waiver
that allows only for short-term travel. Current policy
also keeps most people with HIV from obtaining
permanent residency.
The United States
is one of only 13 countries to have an HIV travel ban.
Others include China, Iraq, Libya, and Sudan. (The
Advocate)
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