U.S. Senate Approves Repeal of Discriminatory HIV Travel and Immigration Ban
Posted Jul 18 2008 12:00am
7/17/2008
Washington – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, praised
the U.S. Senate today for approving the repeal of our nation’s
discriminatory law barring HIV-positive visitors and immigrants.
Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) secured a provision
to repeal this ban in the Senate’s legislation to reauthorize PEPFAR,
the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The PEPFAR bill passed
the Senate today with the Kerry-Smith provision by a vote of 80 to 16
and now moves to conference committee before being sent to the
President.
Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) had introduced an
amendment to strike the Kerry-Smith provision from the PEFPAR bill.
However, the efforts of Senators Kerry and Smith in addition to robust
advocacy from HRC and our coalition partners secured enough opposition
to the Sessions amendment that the Senator agreed not to bring it
forward for a vote.
"We applaud the Senate for rejecting this
unjust and sweeping policy that deems HIV-positive individuals
inadmissible to the United States," said Human Rights Campaign
President Joe Solmonese. "We call on the leaders of the House and
Senate to retain the Kerry-Smith provision in conference and ensure it
is included in the final legislation sent to the President’s desk."
"The
HIV ban is ineffective, unnecessary, and simply bad public health
policy," said Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration
Equality. "It is especially harmful to gay and lesbian families, who
do not benefit from the waiver available to opposite-sex couples. The
Senate’s change is welcome, and long overdue."
7/17/2008
Washington – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, praised the U.S. Senate today for approving the repeal of our nation’s discriminatory law barring HIV-positive visitors and immigrants. Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) secured a provision to repeal this ban in the Senate’s legislation to reauthorize PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The PEPFAR bill passed the Senate today with the Kerry-Smith provision by a vote of 80 to 16 and now moves to conference committee before being sent to the President.
Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) had introduced an amendment to strike the Kerry-Smith provision from the PEFPAR bill. However, the efforts of Senators Kerry and Smith in addition to robust advocacy from HRC and our coalition partners secured enough opposition to the Sessions amendment that the Senator agreed not to bring it forward for a vote.
"We applaud the Senate for rejecting this unjust and sweeping policy that deems HIV-positive individuals inadmissible to the United States," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "We call on the leaders of the House and Senate to retain the Kerry-Smith provision in conference and ensure it is included in the final legislation sent to the President’s desk."
"The HIV ban is ineffective, unnecessary, and simply bad public health policy," said Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality. "It is especially harmful to gay and lesbian families, who do not benefit from the waiver available to opposite-sex couples. The Senate’s change is welcome, and long overdue."
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