July 31, 2008

CHICAGO – 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The legislation repealed the permanent travel ban against HIV-positive people, part of U.S. immigration law since the late 1980s.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.

ELCA News Service