Repeal of Ban on
HIV Travel, Immigration Attached to Senate Bill

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)