[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]
Presidential Documents
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