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PALIN AND BIDEN'S CONTRASTING RECORDS ON HIV/AIDS
GMHC Releases New Report Today
New York City — Vice Presidential nominees Sarah Palin and Joseph Biden have sharply divergent records on HIV/AIDS, according to a report released today, "McCain-Palin vs. Obama-Biden on HIV/AIDS Issues," by Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), the country's oldest HIV/AIDS organization. Palin is a staunch opponent of sex education and a supporter of abstinence-only-until-marriage. Her position on other HIV/AIDS policy issues is unknown. Senator Biden supports comprehensive sex education as well as syringe exchange to reduce HIV/AIDS transmission among intravenous drug users. Most recently, Biden helped craft a reauthorization of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief that repealed the statutory entry ban for people living with HIV/AIDS. It also promotes prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM), along with research on HIV incidence among MSM. While Biden supports civil unions, Palin opposes domestic partner health-insurance benefits for state workers in same-sex relationships
"Senator Biden has shown leadership by supporting civil rights for people living with HIV and evidence-based prevention to fight the epidemic globally," said Robert Bank, Chief Operating Officer of GMHC. "We know little about Governor Palin's positions on HIV/AIDS, except that she supports abstinence-only programming, which is full of anti-gay and sexist content, as well as dangerous misinformation about contraception and AIDS."
"We look forward to learning more about Governor Palin's positions in the weeks ahead. We will send her a survey asking her about her positions on a wide range of domestic and global HIV/AIDS issues, as we have sent Senator McCain twice. Thus far, the contrast between Joe Biden's courageous leadership on HIV/AIDS and Sarah Palin's lack thereof is striking," added Robert Bank.
Click here for a print ready version of the report.
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Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. We provide services and programs to over 15,000 men, women and families that are living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in New York City, and outreach and education to hundreds of thousands throughout the world.
Our Mission: GMHC fights to end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected.
© 2008 Gay Men's Health Crisis
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