[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 158 (Monday, December 12, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13444-S13445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             WORLD AIDS DAY

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today, on World AIDS Day, to 
remember the 20 million people who have died as a result of the largest 
pandemic in human history and with the hope that the 40 million people 
worldwide who are currently living in the shadow of this devastating 
illness will not be added to the list of lives lost.
  The human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, is a certain and silent 
killer, decimating entire generations, crippling continents, and 
orphaning as many children as the populations of Los Angeles, Chicago, 
and New York City combined.
  While scientific advances promise new hope for so many, we are still 
far from winning the war on this deadly virus much more must be done.
  AIDS was first identified in the United States in Los Angeles in 
1981.
  In that year, as mayor of San Francisco, I allocated $180,000 for the 
treatment of this disease. By the time I left the mayor's office in 
1988, funds allocated for AIDS programs in San Francisco had grown to 
over $20 million, more than that of the Federal Government. At that 
time, the crisis had exploded. AIDS cases reported in the United States 
had ballooned exponentially from 189 in 1981 to a staggering 32,311.
  Today, there are over 1 million Americans living with HIV, and the 
damage this disease continues to inflict across the globe is shocking.
  Worldwide, some 40 million people are living with HIV; 95 percent of 
those 40 million reside in developing nations. Tragically, only 12 
percent of those infected are able to access the antiretroviral drugs 
needed to significantly extend and improve the quality of their lives.
  It costs an estimated $300 per person per year to purchase the drugs 
to treat someone with HIV in the developing world, which is less than 
one dollar per day. As Americans, it is imperative that we acknowledge 
the AIDS crisis and its causes both globally and locally but our 
current efforts are simply not enough.
  Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, accounts for only 10 percent of the 
global population but is home to 60 to 70 percent of the worlds 
reported cases of HIV. Those infected in the region comprise some 25 
million of the 40 million people worldwide stricken with the disease.
  In Botswana, a staggering 39 percent of the entire population is HIV 
positive, and the average life expectancy for a baby born in 2010 will 
be 27 years a figure not seen since the end of the 19th century.
  Although some countries have been remarkably proactive in preventing 
the spread of the virus, HIV remains rampant in others. In most 
countries, women are disproportionately affected by HIV, in some 
African nations outnumbering men by more than a 3 to 1 margin.
  Sadly, our plight in America continues as well. New advances in 
antiretroviral drugs show promise in helping many, but AIDS remains an 
incurable, fatal disease. Especially disconcerting in this country are 
the disproportionate numbers of minorities and gay men contracting HIV.
  African-American women comprise some 72 percent all women diagnosed 
with HIV in the United States. While African Americans make up only 12 
percent of the American population, they account for about 40 percent 
of AIDS cases diagnosed since the pandemic began.
  Perhaps most disturbing, a recent study revealed that 46 percent of 
Black gay men tested were HIV positive, and of those tested, two-thirds 
were unaware of their status.
  In my home State of California, 45 percent of Los Angeles nursing 
homes reported that they would not provide treatment for an HIV-
positive patient, and one-third of the city's OBGYNs would refuse to 
treat a mother with HIV.
  As a Senator representing the State with the second-highest 
cumulative number of persons living with AIDS in the United States, I 
have taken a proactive approach to securing funding for those who so 
desperately need help battling this disease by consistently supporting 
increased funding and reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act.
  I have been a cosponsor of the Early Treatment for HIV Act since the 
107th Congress, legislation that would ensure low-income HIV patients 
receive access to antiretroviral drugs from Medicaid before their 
immune systems are crippled by the disease.
  Additionally, I have been a cosponsor of the Microbicide Development 
Act since the 107th Congress, a bill to expand, intensify, and 
coordinate research and development of microbicides to prevent the 
transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Today's 
prevention options such as condoms and mutual monogamy are not feasible 
for millions of people around the world, especially women. Many women 
lack the social or economic power to insist their partners use condoms. 
Microbicides are user-controlled products in the form of gels, creams, 
or films that kill or inactivate the bacteria and viruses that cause 
HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and their use empowers 
women to protect themselves from contracting this disease.
  To combat AIDS in the developing world, I cosponsored the Kennedy-
Feinstein-Feingold Amendment to Help Fight HIV/AIDS, urging developing 
countries to use compulsory licensing to greatly increase the amount of 
safe, generic drugs made available to HIV/AIDS patients.
  I also authored an amendment to strike language requiring that one-
third of funding from the President's Global HIV/AIDs initiative go to 
``abstinence until marriage'' programs to

[[Page S13445]]

ensure that our prevention dollars use the comprehensive ``ABC'' 
approach, Abstinence, Be Faithful, use Condoms to prevent the spread of 
HIV.
  In the 24 years since AIDS was first diagnosed, America and the world 
have made tremendous strides in battling HIV. The average life 
expectancy of someone infected with HIV has risen dramatically since 
the disease was first identified. Despite our best efforts, the war on 
AIDS is still not won. Even the most optimistic estimates predict a 
vaccine may be another 10 years away. As Americans, we must do 
everything in our power to expedite the defeat of this disease.
  I urge my fellow senators and the Bush administration to do 
everything in their power to find a cure for the AIDS pandemic and 
adequately fund research and treatment of HIV/AIDS. While our efforts 
have been great, the toll AIDS has taken on the world has been far 
greater.
  It is my hope that our unwavering dedication to helping the countless 
victims of HIV/AIDS will continue well beyond World AIDS Day. It should 
be our goal to band together to work to find the cure for this deadly 
illness which transcends gender, race, and nationality.
  On this day, I encourage people around the world to take time to 
ponder the vast scope of the AIDS pandemic, and remember those we have 
lost. But let us not remember them in sorrow but, rather, let their 
memory inspire our efforts to prevent any further devastation from this 
virus. Amidst our many domestic and international problems, let us 
remember that AIDS has cruelly cut short tens of millions of lives, 
more than that of any warlord, dictator, or natural disaster in human 
history. This disease has ravaged a continent, orphaned innumerable 
children, and torn apart entire communities. Millions more will die of 
AIDS this year, and millions more, including newborn infants, will 
become infected. Until the day when this virus no longer threatens the 
lives of millions of innocent people, we all must pledge to keep this 
fight alive.
  It is our responsibility as representatives of the people to take 
action now to eradicate this deadly disease. Each day we wait is 
another day when someone's loved one will fall victim to this virus. 
Silence is approval, and it is our duty to raise our voices for those 
whose voices have been silenced. It is our duty to further the strides 
taken since the first case was diagnosed in 1981, so our generation can 
celebrate the day when the last case is cured. As I have said before, 
``I was there in the beginning, and I plan to be there in the end.

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