ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 31, 2008  

ELCA Presiding Bishop Applauds New Global Aids Bill
08-129-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), praised
members of the U.S. Congress and U.S. President George W. Bush
for their work to complete new global AIDS legislation.  He
called the legislation "an historic commitment to fighting deadly
disease in the world."
     Hanson made the comments after President Bush signed the
bill July 30 -- the 2008 Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United
States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria Reauthorization Act -- which reauthorized the President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), originally signed into
law in 2003. The ELCA has supported the legislation and advocated
for improvements in the reauthorization.
     "PEPFAR funding has made it possible for Lutheran ministries
in Nigeria and Tanzania to provide lifesaving treatment and much-
needed care for those living with HIV and AIDS," Hanson said.
"The welcome expansion of the original PEPFAR program
demonstrates the ongoing commitment and leadership of the United
States against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.  We look forward
to establishing new partnerships with the PEPFAR program to save
lives and to strengthening some of the most vulnerable
communities in the world."
     The new bill tripled U.S. spending for a program that has
treated and protected millions of people in Africa from AIDS,
malaria and tuberculosis, according to the Associated Press.
     Over the next five years, the legislation commits $48
billion to help provide
lifesaving treatment for nearly 4 million people with AIDS,
prevent 12 million new infections and provide care for 12 million
people, including 5 million orphans, said Kimberly Stietz,
director for international policy, ELCA Washington Office.  The
legislation will also allow for training of 140,000 new health
professionals and community workers to implement PEPFAR, she
said.
     Of the $48 billion total, $4 billion is authorized for the
fight against tuberculosis and $5 billion is authorized to fight
malaria.  Both are the most aggressive infections that kill HIV-
positive people whose immune systems are often too weak to fend
off such infections, Stietz said.  The bill also authorized a $2
billion commitment to a multi-lateral global fund to fight AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria in 2009 and "such sums as necessary"
through 2013.
     The legislation repealed the permanent travel ban against
HIV-positive people, part of U.S. immigration law since the late
1980s.
     "Restoring authority to the secretary of Health and Human
Services to determine the most appropriate visa entry policy for
HIV-positive people is a monumental victory and speaks volumes to
the commitment of the U.S. Congress to holistically combat stigma
and discrimination against HIV-positive persons," Stietz said.


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