Terrence Higgins Trust Welcomes Lifting Of Discriminatory US Entry Ban On People Living With HIV, UK

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Article Date: 03 Nov 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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Today the United States administration will sign paperwork to overturn the ban on foreign nationals with HIV entering the USA. The ban has been in place since 1987 and will be lifted early next year.

On Friday, President Obama announced the repeal of the travel ban, describing the 22-year-old policy as a "decision rooted in fear rather than fact."

Lisa Power, Head of Policy at Terrence Higgins Trust said "Terrence Higgins Trust has campaigned for many years to end this discriminatory policy. We hope its ending sends a strong signal to governments and politicians globally who support such pointless gestures. Entry bans have no justification on public health grounds. Their only real impact is to increase stigma and prevent ordinary people with HIV from getting on with their lives."

Terrence Higgins Trust and others have campaigned for many years for the policy to be lifted. The UN Secretary General has congratulated President Obama on the move.

The ban meant everyone entering the US was required to state that they don't have a communicable disease, alongside not being a terrorist, a Nazi or a criminal.

Source
Terrence Higgins Trust

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