From: www.volunteersplacement.com

For the first time in 22 years, the United States is scheduled to host the World AIDS conference in Washington, D.C. in 2012. This is good news, but what’s making all the headlines is the new law just enacted, which revokes the ban on HIV/AIDS visitors from entering the country.

The ban was initially put in place primarily due to the efforts of Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina and initially caused the separation of families, spouses and children that were torn apart by the very nature of the law.

Audio: BBC’s Rachel Tiven Discusses US Lift of HIV/AIDs Ban

The repeal of the ban is seen as a step in the right direction for several reasons. Along with other world leaders, the United States has made a statement and shown that it too must lead the way in ending the stigma surrounding the HIV/AIDS disease. Until now the United States along with 11 other countries were the only ones to deny the entry of HIV-positive individuals into their respective countries. Furthermore, significant scientific and diplomatic strides have been made due to the law being revoked, primarily the hosting of the World AIDS conference in 2012, which will bring some of the world’s top-notch researchers and experts on HIV/AIDS to the country, many of whom are people have contracted the disease.

This new law is a hopeful sign for some of how the United States views its immigration policy, and that stigma and exclusion are not a suitable aspect of such a policy. Ultimately, it is believed that the law somewhat scared people away from testing and that eventually the lifting of the ban could significantly improve public health.

However, in the eyes of its critics, the revocation may be the cause of genuine concern about overall public health due to the influx of HIV positive individuals into the country. Commenting on the policy change, President Obama said the initial ban was “a decision rooted in fear, rather than fact.”

What do you think?

Posted by Syddel on January 12, 2010 at 10:57am.