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As of Thursday, August 13, the comment letter has been submitted, and no further names can be added.
Take Action to End the HIV Ban
Sign Immigration Equality's Public Comment on Ending the Ban
Enter your information below and we will submit your name along with our comment to HHS. When the agency reviews those comments, your voice will be added to those calling for the complete repeal of the HIV travel and immigration ban.
Re: HHS/CDC RIN: 0920-AA26
We write this comment to applaud the Department of Health and Human Services for issuing this proposed regulation to remove HIV from the list of “communicable diseases of public health significance” and urge you to issue the final regulation as soon as possible.
For over two decades the HIV ban on travel and immigration has been a blight on the United States. The ban has unfairly stigmatized and singled out people with HIV and treated them differently from foreign nationals with any other medical condition. The public health community has long believed that the ban is anachronistic and does not prevent the spread of HIV.
The HIV ban has prevented the United States from hosting any HIV/AIDS conferences and undermined the global position of the United States as a leader in the fight against the AIDS pandemic. The ban has violated the human rights of individuals seeking to travel freely, and it has needlessly kept apart families who are unable to navigate the difficult waiver process or who simply did not qualify.
Last year, Congress amended the Immigration and Nationality Act to remove the statutory HIV ban. In doing so, it sent a strong message that the United States can no longer countenance this discriminatory law. Publishing these regulations as quickly as possible as a final rule will be an enormous step forward in treating people living with HIV with the dignity and respect they deserve.
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