May 14, 2008

Andrew Sullivan Blasts HIV Travel Restrictions

In a Washington Post (washingtonpost.com, 5/14) opinion piece, HIV-positive political commentator Andrew Sullivan urges the removal of the United States travel ban on HIV-positive immigrants entering the country.

According to Sullivan, HIV remains the only medical condition designated by law in the Immigration and Nationality Act that is used as justification for restricting someone from entering the U.S. He calls the ban—which violates United Nations standards for member states—discriminatory to HIV-positive immigrants.

“Making HIV the only medical condition that legally prevents someone from immigrating or even visiting is a signal to people with HIV that they have something to be ashamed of,” writes Sullivan. “That stigma is one of the greatest obstacles to tackling HIV across the world. The United States has done much to reduce this stigma; it makes no sense to perpetuate it in its own immigration policy.”

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