In a letter to Durbin sent Dec. 5, AFC CEO/President David Ernesto Munar stated, “We count you as an important ally in this fight against AIDS. As you noted, your own political career runs parallel to this 30-year epidemic. Since you frightfully gathered your three children to talk about sex at the dawn of AIDS, we’ve made significant progress.”
The letter also mentions economic and political hurdles that threaten the progress made in recent years: “Particularly, we’re concerned that automatic deficit reductions will result in harmful cuts to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and research programs. We understand that programs like Social Security and Medicaid are protected from the sequester but we’re less confident about other important programs, such as Ryan White, the AIDS Drug Assistance Program and critical research funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health.
“But there are other threats, too, such as partisan opposition to the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act and, on the state level, enforcement of antiquated HIV criminal-transmission laws that perpetuate fear and stigma.”
Photos of the meeting by Ed Negron