[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 232 (Monday, December 4, 1995)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 62187-62188]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-29624]



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  Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 232 / Monday, December 4, 1995 / 
Presidential Documents   

[[Page 62187]]

                Proclamation 6854 of November 30, 1995

                
World AIDS Day, 1995

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                 Today the world pauses to remember the millions of 
                men, women, and children who are living with HIV and 
                AIDS and to honor the memory of those who have lost 
                their lives to this insidious disease. We renew our 
                commitment to searching for a cure to AIDS and a 
                vaccine for HIV, rededicate ourselves to reducing the 
                number of people who become infected with the virus, 
                and devote our efforts to protecting the dignity and 
                rights of all those affected by the AIDS epidemic.

                The statistics are overwhelming. Around the world, more 
                than 18 million people are believed to be infected with 
                HIV. In America alone, over half a million people have 
                been struck by AIDS, and more than 300,000 have already 
                lost their lives. Nearly 80,000 of our fellow citizens 
                are diagnosed with AIDS and more than 40,000 are dying 
                of the disease each year--some 120 every day. In 
                addition, there are an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 
                Americans who contract HIV annually. The impact of 
                these numbers goes far beyond the individuals 
                involved--each AIDS death devastates a family, weakens 
                a community, and changes society as a whole. HIV and 
                AIDS present extraordinary challenges to every nation 
                and every person on our planet.

                In the past year, there has been some encouraging 
                progress. Researchers from many countries have combined 
                their knowledge and skills to better understand the 
                virus that causes AIDS and its effects on the human 
                body; new AIDS drugs are being developed and approved 
                faster than ever before; we are beginning to find ways 
                to rebuild immune systems destroyed by HIV so that 
                those infected can live longer, healthier lives; and we 
                are aggressively confronting this crisis with 
                prevention programs at the grassroots and national 
                levels.

                But there is still much work to do. Half of all new 
                infections occur among people under the age of 25, and 
                one-fourth occur among teenagers. We must protect the 
                next generation by continuing to improve the 
                availability of health care services for those with HIV 
                and AIDS. Since 1990, the Ryan White CARE Act has 
                offered help and hope to hundreds of thousands of 
                people, and we are working with the Congress to extend 
                this vital program for an additional 5 years. However, 
                while the CARE Act is an essential element of the 
                safety net that protects people with HIV and AIDS, it 
                cannot do the job alone. We must also maintain our 30-
                year commitment to the Medicaid program, which provides 
                services to nearly half of all Americans living with 
                AIDS and more than 90 percent of children with AIDS. 
                Without the protection that Medicaid affords, these 
                individuals and their families would lose all access to 
                health care.

                Let us also continue to ensure that our Nation responds 
                aggressively and humanely to the needs of people living 
                with HIV and AIDS. Throughout this epidemic, community 
                organizations have taken the lead in the struggle 
                against the disease and in efforts to provide 
                compassionate care to those in need. Across this 
                country and around the globe, generous people perform 
                miracles every day--holding a hand, cooling a fever, 
                listening, and understanding. Let us further support 
                their efforts to build a better world by 

[[Page 62188]]
                strengthening the partnership between communities and government in the 
                work to stop AIDS.

                The theme of this eighth observance of World AIDS Day, 
                ``Shared Rights, Shared Responsibilities,'' is a call 
                to fight against discrimination as strongly as we fight 
                for a cure. When one human being is persecuted because 
                of his or her HIV status, we all suffer. Let us pledge 
                to stand together, united against HIV and AIDS and 
                committed to ending ignorance and prejudice.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim December 1, 1995, as World 
                AIDS Day. I ask the American people to join me in 
                reaffirming our commitment to combatting HIV and AIDS 
                and in reaching out to all those whose lives have been 
                affected by this disease.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-five, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twentieth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 95-29624
Filed 11-30-95; 4:41 pm]
Billing code 3195-01-P