Take Action: Support HIV Prevention Programs

Support HIV Prevention Programs

Congress has begun to reauthorize the U.S. Global AIDS Act of 2003, a critical program that provides prevention, care, and treatment services in countries heavily affected by HIV and AIDS. With six new infections for every new person treated, we must ensure that the new legislation includes the most effective policies for saving lives and preventing new infections.

The House of Representatives already passed their version of the bill on April 2, 2008. Although it authorizes $50 billion for HIV and AIDS over five years, it is extremely weak on policies that ensure that vulnerable populations receive effective, evidence-based prevention services. The Senate will vote on its own version of the legislation in the coming weeks. This bill must include language supporting comprehensive, evidence-based prevention programs tailored to meet the unique needs of each country and community.

Urge your Senators to support striking the abstinence-until-marriage earmark and the prostitution pledge from the U.S. Global AIDS Act, and support funding for programs aimed at women, youth, and other vulnerable and marginalized populations.

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Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

(Edit Letter Below)

Over 33.2 million people are currently living with HIV worldwide, and two-thirds of those are in sub-Saharan Africa. As you know, through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, the U.S. has spent approximately $19 billion on global AIDS efforts since 2003. This has led to increased access to treatment as well as care and support for individuals and families affected by HIV and AIDS.

However, with six new infections for every person put on treatment, I am deeply concerned about restrictions on prevention programs that undermine efforts to prevent as many new infections as possible and constitute a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Efforts are underway to reauthorize U.S. global AIDS programs at a level of $50 billion over five years. I support increased funding for U.S. global AIDS programs, contingent on evidence-based prevention policies and the removal of restrictions in the original Global AIDS Act.

I am writing to urge you to support a bill reauthorizing the U.S. Global AIDS Act that at a minimum strikes the abstinence-until-marriage earmark and the prostitution pledge; dramatically increases attention to and funding of programs addressing the needs of women and youth; supports linkages between HIV services and basic reproductive health services, including efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV through voluntary family planning services; uses evidence-based approaches to preventing HIV infection among specific populations, such as intravenous drug users; strengthens support for health care workers; and provides nutritional and other program support needed to ensure effective treatment access.

The House of Representatives recently passed a version of the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 (H.R. 5501) that does not include many of these critical prevention provisions. Instead, it maintains many of the ideological restrictions in the original bill and also adds another restriction. Vague language in the House bill could be used to apply the global gag rule to PEPFAR funds - effectively cutting off critical PEPFAR funding to family planning organizations for the provision of prevention services such as HIV education, testing and counseling. The current Senate version of the bill passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, S. 2731, does not include any language on the linkages between family planning and HIV prevention, counseling and testing services. This omission potentially jeopardizes the important role family planning services play in providing women and girls access to essential HIV information and services.

The Senate is expected to consider their version of the U.S. Global Leadership Act, S. 2731, in the coming weeks and must not adopt the weak prevention language in the House bill. I urge you to act to ensure that the policies I outlined above are included in the Senate version of the bill.

We have the chance to create a sustainable and comprehensive effort that will save millions of lives and contribute to ending this global pandemic. But to ensure success and the appropriate use of U.S. taxpayer dollars we should only fund programs driven by science and evidence, not ideology. I urge you to support these critical provisions when the Senate considers the U.S. Global Leadership Act.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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