US Lifts Ban Prohibiting HIV/Aids Victims from Entering the Country

For the first time since 1987, travelers with HIV/Aids will be able to venture to the United States for an extended period of time.

Back in October 2009, President Barack Obama announced that he would lift a ban that stopped anyone living with the disease from studying or working in U.S. institutions. Under the ban, HIV/Aids victims could receive 30-day waivers to visit the U.S., but were not allowed to stay in the country for long.

Legislation lifting the travel restrictions came into effect on January 4, 2010. Obama lifted the ban since the U.S. plans to host a bi-annual global HIV/Aids summit for the first time in 2012. The conference was in jeopardy as a result of the previous travel restrictions.

Obama said the entry ban was “rooted in fear rather than fact,” and that the U.S. leads “the world when it comes to helping stem the Aids pandemic – yet we are one of the only dozen countries that still bar people with HIV from entering our own country.”

Victoria Neilson, legal director for the advocacy group Immigration Equality is happy to see the country move away from discrimination against HIV/Aids victims.

“We’re very excited to finally see the end of this discriminatory and harmful policy,” she told the AFP.

Lifting the travel ban not only makes sense, it is long overdue. Discriminating against those who live with the disease does nothing to stop the spread of Aids. On the contrary, it sends the message that treating others badly based on their health condition is acceptable.

One of the most realistic ways to lessen the spread of HIV/Aids is to empower people with knowledge and education so they know how to protect themselves. Many people do not understand how the HIV virus is transmitted, or how prevalent it really is. If people were able to understand the mechanics of the deadly disease, they would be more motivated to take measures to protect themselves.

The disease is more common in areas where education is not readily available. This is another reason why comprehensive sex education is much more rational than abstinence-only education. A curriculum in comprehensive sex ed would teach students how contraception, like condoms, would stop the spread of the disease.