President Repeals HIV Travel Laws
President Bush signed the bill repealing the law barring HIV-positive visitors and immigrants from visiting the U.S.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBTQ civil rights organization in the nation, called on the Department of Health and Human Services to update the regulations on file following President Bush’s signing of the bill.
“We appreciate the President signing the repeal of this unjust and sweeping policy that deems HIV-positive individuals inadmissible to the United States,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the HRC. “The HIV travel and immigration ban performs no public health service, is unnecessary and ineffective.”
The bill, known as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), also allocates $48 billion over the next 5 years to treat people living with HIV, and to fund prevention programs for gay men in less fortunate countries. To date, PEPFAR has provided medicine to two million HIV-positive patients, mostly in Africa.
Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) led efforts to have the legislation passed by introducing the HIV Non-Discrimination in Travel and Immigration Act (S. 2486), to repeal the ban. In the House, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced similar the legislation, H.R. 3337, in August 2007. The repeal passed the House on a 303-115 vote on Thursday after the Senate's 80-16 affirmation on July 16.
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Before the repeal, the law required HIV-positive foreign travelers from entering the U.S. unless they obtained a waiver, which, if managed to obtain, only allowed for short-term travels. The old policy also prevented immigrants from obtaining legal permanent residency in the U.S.
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