AIDS Action Condemns Passage ofSilence America Amendment

Today, the House of Representatives believes it has done the right thing by silencing the voices of those who represent the public interest. By passing the Istook Amendment, members of Congress say to their own constituents, you elected me but I will be deaf to your needs. This legislation will mean that people with AIDS will no longer be able to effectively educate legislators and policy makers about their care and treatment concerns. Yet as history shows, without the collective cry of people living with HIV disease and their advocates, there would be no Ryan White CARE Act, and frankly, no federal response to the AIDS epidemic at all.

The Istook Amendment forces the community-based AIDS organizations that AIDS Action represents to choose between providing services to their clients and ensuring their clients have a say in federal policies which directly affect their lives. Non-profit AIDS organizations are already restricted by law from using federal funds for political advocacy. Must we now sacrifice our first amendment right to free speech in exchange for the urgent need to deliver federally-funded prevention and care services to people in their communities living with HIV disease? AIDS Action will continue to ensure that people with AIDS and their families are heard in the halls of Congress. Their lives may depend upon it.

For more information, contact:
Beth Jones
AIDS Action Council
1875 Connecticut Avenue NW #700
Washington DC 20009
202-986-1300
202-986-1345 (fax)
202-332-9614 (tty)
E-Mail: aidsaction@aidsaction.org