dieselcop
08-12-2008, 12:27 PM
On July 30, 2008, President Bush signed into law the "Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008." (Public Law No. 110-293) In addition to appropriating $48 billion to fight AIDS world-wide, the bill also repeals the statutory bar to admission for foreign nationals infected with HIV. (Sections 305 and 401) Until this change, aliens who were infected with HIV were barred statutorily from admission to the U.S., but could receive a waiver from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). By repealing the statutory bar, the new law gives USCIS discretion to administratively determine the process under which aliens infected with HIV may enter the U.S.
A week after this new law was enacted, nearly 20,000 doctors, scholars, activists, and policymakers gathered in Mexico last week for the 17th annual AIDS Conference. With this global focus on AIDS, many U.S. news sources focused specifically on the virus's impact on the Latino immigrant community, access to treatment, prevalence of the disease. According to a Washington Post article last week, Latinos account for approximately 15% of AIDS cases nationwide, but live in a culture significantly less supportive of AIDS patients than other segments of the population. (Washington Post, August 5, 2008) The article also notes that, because of cultural stigmas, Latino men are among the most reluctant to seek treatment for HIV/AIDS, which has raised concern among public health officials. (Id.) A report released this month by the Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality noted from 2001 to 2005 more than 185,000 Latinos had reported being infected with AIDS; nearly 149,000 of these cases were Latino males. (Risk Across Borders, August 2008) According to a National Public Radio story last week, the cultural stigma is so oppressive in Mexico that more Mexicans are seeking-and receiving-political asylum in the United States. (NPR, August 4, 2008)
:evil:
A week after this new law was enacted, nearly 20,000 doctors, scholars, activists, and policymakers gathered in Mexico last week for the 17th annual AIDS Conference. With this global focus on AIDS, many U.S. news sources focused specifically on the virus's impact on the Latino immigrant community, access to treatment, prevalence of the disease. According to a Washington Post article last week, Latinos account for approximately 15% of AIDS cases nationwide, but live in a culture significantly less supportive of AIDS patients than other segments of the population. (Washington Post, August 5, 2008) The article also notes that, because of cultural stigmas, Latino men are among the most reluctant to seek treatment for HIV/AIDS, which has raised concern among public health officials. (Id.) A report released this month by the Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality noted from 2001 to 2005 more than 185,000 Latinos had reported being infected with AIDS; nearly 149,000 of these cases were Latino males. (Risk Across Borders, August 2008) According to a National Public Radio story last week, the cultural stigma is so oppressive in Mexico that more Mexicans are seeking-and receiving-political asylum in the United States. (NPR, August 4, 2008)
:evil: