[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 176 (Tuesday, December 1, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H13359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING WORLD AIDS DAY

  (Ms. PELOSI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 21st annual 
World AIDS Day, and to remember, reflect on those we have lost, and 
recommit to ending HIV/AIDS. This year's theme, ``Universal Access and 
Human Rights,'' is a call to action, a sign of the continued urgency of 
this moral challenge, and a reminder that HIV/AIDS is still with us in 
a very major way. The fight to end this disease must go on. The moral 
case alone is reason to act, but we also know that the spread of 
infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, can destroy the very fabric 
of nations and create a fury of despair.
  American leadership is essential to preventing suffering and 
instability in the developing world. Since the first World AIDS Day in 
1988, we have made enormous progress. We have dramatically increased 
resources for both domestic and international HIV/AIDS prevention, 
care, treatment, and research. These investments have provided 
lifesaving anti-retroviral treatment to millions of people while also 
taking critical steps to prevent millions of new HIV cases.
  Reiterating our commitment, Congress recently passed, in a bipartisan 
way, and President Obama signed into law the Ryan White HIV/AIDS 
Treatment Extension Act, continuing this essential lifeline of care, 
treatment, and support for more than half a million low-income 
Americans living with this disease. And around the same time, the 
President lifted the ban on entry of individuals with HIV/AIDS into our 
country. This was good news for all who were concerned about the global 
AIDS conference that's going to be held in the United States in 2012.
  When Congress and the President make the dream of health insurance 
reform a reality for all Americans, we will improve access to lifelong 
medications and open the door of high-quality medical care to more low-
income, uninsured, HIV-positive individuals before they confront the 
nightmare of full-blown AIDS. This is better for their health and 
lowers costs for all of us.
  Today, on World AIDS Day, we remember all that we have lost but also 
all that we have to hold on to, our hope, our optimism, our 
steadfastness, and our determination to fight against this disease, to 
respond to the needs of the people who have it, and one day, and 
hopefully that will be soon, to end the HIV/AIDS disease.

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