Steering Committee elections for the 2008-2009 school year are now open! Nominate yourself by Monday, April 14th at 11:59pm EST. See below for details. Read More

Students, doctors, people living with HIV/AIDS deliver giant keys to Congress; demand comprehensive global HIV prevention and treatment

WASHINGTON, DC - Using giant keys to symbolize their demands, students, health care professionals, and people living with HIV/AIDS descended on Capitol Hill today, demanding Congress to “unlock the solution to the global AIDS crisis.”

Activists urged Congress to support a bill that would train and retain doctors and nurses in sub-Saharan Africa, avoid stigmatizing sex workers, support 4 million people on treatment, and provide unrestricted, science-based sexual education.
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Below is a piece from University of Chicago-SGAC about their campaign to hold Senator Barack Obama accountable for his statements on needle exchange:

One of the things the University of Chicago chapter did this quarter was to write an open letter to Senator Barack Obama about lifting the federal ban on needle exchange program funding. For many, many years now, activists have worked to lift this ban. Top scientists both internationally and domestically, have shown that needle exchange programs are an effective way to prevent significant HIV/AIDS transmission. Although, knowledgeable and dedicated leaders like Jose Serrano are working for change, lifting the ban seems far off since the stigma and controversy surrounding needle exchange is still strong.
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February 26th is Youth AIDS Day, and people and groups around the country need you to take five minutes to help pass legislation that will save millions of lives worldwide. In the next few weeks, Congress will consider reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, President Bush’s 2003 proposal to treat 2 million people with AIDS and prevent 7 million HIV infections by the end of 2008. This plan expires at the end of this year, and must be continued.
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www.globaljusticenow.org/conference, for questions email hayley.hathaway@fightglobalaids.org

It’s been a crazy few weeks in the AIDS advocacy world. Great job last week making calls to get Democrats on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to attend the vote on reauthorizing PEPFAR! Celeste let you all know that the vote was delayed until this Thursday 2/14; however, it looks like it might be delayed again due to the sad news that Congressman Lantos passed away yesterday.

In the meantime, it’s essential that we let the Republicans on the committee know that we care deeply about the need for more funds, more healthcare workers, more treatment, and comprehensive prevention programs.

Make the call this Wednesday – it may be our last chance before the committee vote!
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This coming week, your calls will be vital to ensure a great version of PEPFAR survives House committee.

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs will be voting on the reauthorization of the US global AIDS and health initiatives (a greatly improved and expanded version of PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 1pm. Read More