Bush-Cheney Administration Threatens Health of LGBT, HIV-Positive Americans

New York, NY -- Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) expressed outrage at a new rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services on December 18 that allows health care providers to refuse critical healthcare services and information based on moral beliefs. This not only threatens reproductive health services such as abortion and contraception, it also threatens basic healthcare for people and groups most at risk for HIV, including people living with HIV/AIDS, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups.

"This 11th hour Bush-Cheney Administration rule endangers reproductive health, exacerbates the HIV/AIDS epidemic and jeopardizes basic healthcare for LGBT people, substance users, undocumented immigrants, people having sex outside of heterosexual marriage, and other groups that could evoke moral objection," said Marjorie Hill, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Gay Men's Health Crisis. "We call on Congress and the Obama-Biden Administration to rescind this draconian rule, as expeditiously, which would drastically undermine public health, especially for communities most at risk for HIV/AIDS."

The December 18 news is a final rule, even after receiving 200,000 comments in opposition.