Crowley Announces Approval Of $50B, 5-Year Global Anti-AIDS Bill
BY JOHN TOSCANO

"Every day, over 6,000 people around the world are infected with HIV, while millions struggle desperately for access to prevention and treatment."

Landmark bipartisan legislation authorizing $50 billion over five years to extend and expand a key initiative to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria around the world has been approved by the House of Representatives, Congressmember Joseph Crowley announced.

The legislation, Crowley said, strengthens access to treatment and prevention of these diseases in critically affected areas around the globe. The package includes his 2003 legislation which provides programs for education on gender equality and respect for women and young girls.

"Every day, over 6,000 people around the world are infected with HIV, while millions struggle desperately for access to prevention and treatment," Crowley declared. The U.S. House voted this week overwhelmingly (308- 116) to maintain America's role as a global leader in the fight against AIDS and other devastating diseases."

Crowley (D- Queens/The Bronx) said the carefully crafted compromise was worked out between House Democrats, House Republicans and the Bush Administration.

The bill's goals, he explained, include: by 2013, preventing 12 million new HIV infections; providing life-saving drugs for 3 million AIDS patients; providing medical and non-medical care for 12 million people (including 5 million orphans), and training 140,000 new healthcare workers.

Crowley acknowledged, however, that the new bill does contain "one serious flaw", while expanding efforts to combat these global epidemics.

"It bans qualified healthcare providers from providing AIDS/HIV funding if they do not abide by the Global Gag Rule," he said. "The Bush Administration has touted its record of achievements, but ultimately, its insistence of tying the hands of family planning providers has had a detrimental effect on the global campaign against AIDS/HIV. We need a new Democratic leadership in the White House to undo the grave damage done by this administration to global health care and prevention."

In his statement on the floor of the House urging passage of the bill, Crowley pointed out that the anti-AIDS program had helped women during more than 10 million pregnancies and led to the prevention of more than 150,000 infant infections.

In addition, Crowley noted, the program had supported life-saving treatment for almost 1.5 million men, women and children.

But Crowley also pointed out, "This bill could do so much more, and could prevent many more infections if it improved a critical partnership with those programs in the field that have served women and their families for over four decades- family planning providers."

Noting that the House version of the bill contains language suggesting that only family planning programs compliant with the Global Gag Rule will be eligible to receive program funds, Crowley emphasized, "This would be a new restriction; no such requirement exists in current law or policy."

Crowley added: "If we are serious about preventing the most new infections, we need to put aside our political differences on the Global Gag Rule and ensure that the very best in the field have the support of the U.S. to do what they do well: prevent HIV infections."