Senate Votes to Repeal Ban on HIV-Infected Visitors and Immigrants

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jul 18 - The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to repeal the law barring HIV-infected visitors and immigrants from the country, an action applauded by numerous human rights organizations.

Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) secured a provision to repeal the travel ban as part of the Senate’s reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) bill, which was passed by the Senate Wednesday by a vote of 80 to 16. It will now go to a conference committee before being sent to President Bush for approval.

While Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) introduced an amendment to strike the Kerry-Smith provision, opposition to the amendment was secured and Senator agreed not to bring it forward for a vote.

Senators Kerry and Smith first introduced the HIV Non-Discrimination in Travel and Immigration Act (S. 2486) in December 2007. U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced similar the legislation, H.R. 3337, in the House in August 2007.

The travel and immigration ban, which originated in 1987, prohibits U.S. entry by HIV-positive foreign nationals, unless they obtain a special waiver to allow short-term travel only. The ban also prevents most foreign nationals with HIV infection from legally obtaining permanent U.S residency.

“We applaud the Senate for rejecting this unjust and sweeping policy that deems HIV-positive individuals inadmissible to the United States,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. The Human Rights Campaign is the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization.

Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality, called the HIV ban “ineffective, unnecessary, and simply bad public health policy….The Senate’s change is welcome, and long overdue.”

Source:

1. Senate Votes to Repeal Ban on HIV-Infected Visitors and Immigrants