On June 26, members of the U.S. Senate pushed for the passage of a bill reauthorizing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), but some Republican opponents continued to block it because of its cost, Reuters reports (reuters.com, 6/26).
The previous day, June 25, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said a tentative agreement had been reached over a debate about the amount of PEPFAR money allotted for HIV treatment and projected that the legislation would be approved by the Senate before President Bush leaves for the Group of Eight Summit in Japan, July 7-9.
Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has threatened to block the bill’s passage because of expense. “Senator DeMint objects to a huge increase in deficit spending and the lack of real oversight to ensure funds are going for medical purposes to help those in need,” said a DeMint spokesperson.
The proposed boost in PEPFAR funding—from its original $15 billion to $50 billion over five years—would provide treatment for an estimated 3 million to 5 million people living with HIV, malaria and tuberculosis.
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Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
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Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I recently met a guy who is negative. I did tell him about my status and he decided to kiss me anyway (we didn't go further than that). But a day later, he called and said that he actually had a mouth ulcer that time when we kissed and he was very worried. Asked if he can get the virus from me that way. For that moment, I felt so insulted and yet I felt so bad. It was my first time having a contact with a "negative" guy."
