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October 6, 2004
DEBATE TRANSCRIPT: IFILL, CHENEY AND EDWARDS
The transcript of the question and answers regarding HIV/AIDS follows:
IFILL: I will talk to you about health care, Mr. Vice President. Youhave
two minutes. But in particular, I want to talk to you about AIDS, andnot
about AIDS in China or Africa, but AIDS right here in this country, whereblack
women between the ages of 25 and 44 are 13 times more likely to die of the
disease than their counterparts. What should the government's role be in helping
to end the growth of this epidemic?
CHENEY: Well, this is a great tragedy, Gwen, when you think about the enormous
cost here in the United States and around the world of the AIDSepidemic
-- pandemic, really. Millions of lives lost, millions moreinfected and
facing a very bleak future.
In some parts of the world, we've got the entire, sort of, productive generation
has been eliminated as a result of AIDS, all except for old folks and kids
-- nobody to do the basic work that runs an economy.
The president has been deeply concerned about it. He has moved andproposed and gotten through the Congress authorization for $15 billion to helpin the international effort, to be targeted in those places where we need to do everything we can, through a combination of education as well as providingthe kinds of medicines that will help people control the infection.
Here in the United States, we've made significant progress. I have notheard those numbers with respect to African- American women. I was notaware that it was -- that they're in epidemic there, because we have madeprogress in terms of the overall rate of AIDS infection, and I think primarilythrough a combination of education and public awareness as well as thedevelopment, as a result of research, of drugs that allow people to live longerlives even though they are infected -- obviously we need to do more of that.
IFILL: Senator Edwards, you have 90 seconds.
EDWARDS: Well, first, with respect to what's happening in Africa andRussia and in other places around the world, the vice president spoke about the$15 billion for AIDS. John Kerry and I believe that needs to bedoubled. And I might add, on the first year of their commitment, they came up significantly short of what they had promised.
And we probably won't get a chance to talk about Africa. Let me just saya couple of things. The AIDS epidemic in Africa, which is killing millions and millions of people and is a frightening thing not just for the people of Africa but also for therest of the world, that, combined with the genocide that we're now seeing inSudan, are two huge moral issues for the United States of America, which JohnKerry spoke about eloquently last Thursday night.
Here at home we need to do much more. And the vice president spoke about doing research, making sure we have the drugs available, making sure that we do everything possible to have prevention. But it's a bigger question than that. You know, we have 5 million Americans who've lost their health care coverage in the last four years; 45 million Americans without health carecoverage. We have children who don't have health care coverage. If kids and adults don't have access to preventative care, if they're not getting the health care that they need day after day after day, the possibility of not only developing AIDS and having a problem -- having a problem – a life-threatening problem, but the problem of developing other life-threatening diseases is there every day of their lives.
IFILL: OK, we'll move on.