With the stroke of a pen, President George W. Bush extended a U.S. program July 30 to provide global HIV/AIDS relief for another five years and fill its coffers with $48 billion to address what he said is "one of the world's greatest humanitarian challenges."
Inaugurated in 2003, the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief, more commonly known as PEPFAR, has to date provided $19 billion to support the treatment of millions globally, to provide health care workers, and to carry out educational programs that focus on prevention, monogamy, fidelity and abstinence.
Before signing the bill --- passed in a bipartisan effort by both houses of Congress --- the president credited the initiative for saving millions of lives.
He predicted the reauthorization of the program and the additional funds will support treatment for at least 3 million people, prevent 12 million new HIV infections worldwide and provide support and care for 12 million affected by HIV/AIDS, including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children.
Officials from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Relief Services and the Catholic Medical Mission Board applauded the reauthorization of the program. As the measure worked its way through Congress, Catholic leaders backed key provisions of the bill, namely funding for food aid, retention of morally appropriate programs and 150,000 extra health care workers.
The reauthorization for PEPFAR includes balanced funding for abstinence and fidelity programs but also for condom programs, which the church opposes as a method for preventing the transmission of AIDS.
A conscience clause in the legislation prevents faith-based agencies such as CRS, the overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic Church, from being shut out of the program because they refuse to hand out condoms.
Vatican officials have objected to condom promotion in AIDS prevention campaigns, saying they believe it undermines the church's call for sexual responsibility. Some theologians, however, including those who advise the Vatican, believe the use of condoms may be acceptable for disease control in certain situations.
CRS has been a leader in the fight against AIDS, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, the focus of the PEPFAR funding, and Ken Hackett, president of the Baltimore-based global relief agency, said the five-year extension of this program will allow his organization to continue without interruption more than 250 projects in 52 countries directly helping more than 3.5 million people affected by the disease.
"USCCB and CRS welcomed the bipartisan consensus reflected in the bill that preserves PEPFAR's focus on its foundational goals of saving lives, caring for the infected and affected, and preventing the spread of deadly disease," said Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., chairman of the USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace.
"We welcome the retention of abstinence, fidelity and partner reduction, which have proved highly effective in curbing the spread of HIV in many countries, as major components of HIV prevention education," Bishop Wenski said.
Hackett also praised the bill for strengthening PEPFAR programs by committing $4 billion to address tuberculosis and $5 billion to focus on malaria.
"These two debilitating, often deadly diseases seriously affect poor people in developing countries, especially those with HIV," he said. "We also appreciate a number of new provisions, including those that improve food and nutrition programs --- vital components in treating and caring for HIV/AIDS patients as well as supporting the orphans and vulnerable children left in the wake of this disease."
Bush thanked several members of Congress who attended the bill-signing ceremony, particularly Catholic Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., for getting support for the legislation.
"PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in human history," he said. "It is distinguished from past relief efforts by a few key principles. The emergency plan demands specific, measurable targets for progress. It puts local partners in the lead, because they know the needs of their people best. It enlists new partners from the faith community and the private sector."
This bill is not a cure-all for the disease and defeating HIV/AIDS will require an unprecedented investment over generations, Bush said.
The president also said a byproduct of PEPFAR has been a destigmatization of HIV/AIDS, which he said has spurred more people to get tested.
"With this legislation, America is showing its tremendous regard for the dignity and worth of every human being," Bush said. "A positive diagnosis does not have to be a reason for shame. So don't let shame keep you from getting tested or treated. Your life is treasured by the people who love you. It is precious in the eyes of God." ---CNS
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