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February 12, 2006
AIDS and Entry into America
Andrew Sullivan argues that HIV positive people shouldn't be kept out of the United States:
I'm delighted to see that the Homeland Security Department has temporarily waived the ban on any non-American with HIV from entering the United States for the Gay Games in Chicago this summer. It's still stunning to me, however, that the Bush administration, which has done so much to advance treatment for people with HIV and AIDS in the developing world, should still be perpetuating stigma by keeping the (largely unenforceable) ban on all HIV-positive visitors from legal entry into the U.S. Nothing stigmatizes a disease more than a country saying that no-one with HIV can enter its borders or become one of its citizens if he or she is HIV-positive. Being HIV-positive should not bar anyone from becoming an American citizen. But it does. You could remove the worry about people coming to the U.S. for free medical care by adjusting waiver requirements to ensure that immigrants have private health insurance before they get here. The stigma can be ended - if the administration finds a way.Anyone want to offer a counterargument?
Posted by Conor at February 12, 2006 05:24 PM
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Comments
The government, with its ban, is trying to protect its citizens from this global epidemic. The basic idea is to quarentine the United States from AIDS as well as possible. The government is, or should, couple the ban with an active campaign against the transmission of aids within the nation. Hypothetically, this should allow the disease to die out within the nation. Now, to do this would take much effort. The people would need to take the responsibility upon themselves to help end the aids epidemic. Now, if the US does become a aids-free zone, what about the rest of the world?
Posted by: Richard at February 16, 2006 02:30 PM