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September 7, 2004
REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM ON HIV/AIDS EMPHASIZES GLOBAL AIDS FUND AND ABSTINENCE: DO THEY REALIZE PEOPLE ARE DYING OF AIDS IN AMERICA?
Part of the Republican Party’s platform that was released by delegates at their national convention last week included HIV/AIDS. The Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, as well as AIDS research, faith-based initiatives, HIV/AIDS orphans, sex trafficking, reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, and abstinence from sexual activity were all addressed. The platform statement flowed from President Bush’s theme of “compassionate conservatism” which left 19 Housing Works AIDS advocates less than hopeful as they spent over 20 hours in prison for arrests resulting from bringing attention to AIDS in America at a rush hour civil disobedience demonstration in Grand Central Terminal on the last day of the Republican National Convention, September 2nd.The following are excerpts from the 2004 Republican Party platform, with a reality check perspective on their positions regarding HIV/AIDS:
Platform:
“Republicans are proud of President Bush’s historic leadership that has placed America at the forefront of helping the people of Africa, their governments, and private groups combat the catastrophic HIV/AIDS pandemic.”
Reality Check:
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a five-year, $15 billion initiative, to address HIV/AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean falls short for developing countries that owe billions in debt to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. These debts need to be cancelled so that developing countries can adequately invest in their health care infrastructures to effectively respond to the AIDS crisis. Saddling poor countries with infinite debt is nothing to be proud of.
Platform:
“We support the emphasis on prevention in the President’s Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS relief and endorse its embrace of the successful Ugandan model promoting the “ABC” approach to prevention that encourages abstinence and being faithful to one lifetime partner, along with other behavioral changes intended to eliminate or reduce exposure risk. We also support the President’s efforts to double the amount spent on abstinence-only education and to promote healthy relationships.”
Reality Check:
The Bush Administration has made abstinence the centerpiece of its own AIDS funding program—downplaying the need for accurate, comprehensive sexuality education and HIV prevention programs that include information on condoms.
Platform:
“The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Latino populations is four times higher than among whites while the prevalence among African Americans is nine times higher than that of whites.”
Reality Check:
What is the President doing to address these dreadful racial and ethnic health disparities other than citing CDC statistics? The Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative is under-funded, and it needs to expand the capacity of communities of color to provide people of color with high quality HIV/AIDS care.
Feel free to go to www.aidsvote.org to send a message to President Bush, who has not responded yet to the AIDSVote platform.
“Republicans are proud of President Bush’s historic leadership that has placed America at the forefront of helping the people of Africa, their governments, and private groups combat the catastrophic HIV/AIDS pandemic.”
Reality Check:
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a five-year, $15 billion initiative, to address HIV/AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean falls short for developing countries that owe billions in debt to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. These debts need to be cancelled so that developing countries can adequately invest in their health care infrastructures to effectively respond to the AIDS crisis. Saddling poor countries with infinite debt is nothing to be proud of.
Platform:
“We support the emphasis on prevention in the President’s Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS relief and endorse its embrace of the successful Ugandan model promoting the “ABC” approach to prevention that encourages abstinence and being faithful to one lifetime partner, along with other behavioral changes intended to eliminate or reduce exposure risk. We also support the President’s efforts to double the amount spent on abstinence-only education and to promote healthy relationships.”
Reality Check:
The Bush Administration has made abstinence the centerpiece of its own AIDS funding program—downplaying the need for accurate, comprehensive sexuality education and HIV prevention programs that include information on condoms.
Platform:
“The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Latino populations is four times higher than among whites while the prevalence among African Americans is nine times higher than that of whites.”
Reality Check:
What is the President doing to address these dreadful racial and ethnic health disparities other than citing CDC statistics? The Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative is under-funded, and it needs to expand the capacity of communities of color to provide people of color with high quality HIV/AIDS care.
Feel free to go to www.aidsvote.org to send a message to President Bush, who has not responded yet to the AIDSVote platform.