[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
[December 3, 1994]
[Page 2143]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on the Death of Elizabeth Glaser
December 3, 1994

    Hillary and I are deeply saddened at Elizabeth Glaser's passing. She 
was our friend and an inspiration to us as she was to millions of 
others. Our prayers are with Paul and Jake, her parents, and her 
brother.
    Elizabeth confronted the challenge of AIDS in her own life and lost 
her beloved daughter to AIDS at a time when our Government and our 
country were too indifferent to this illness and the people who had it.
    She refused to let that indifference stand, fighting bravely for 
more investment in AIDS research and better treatment and care, 
especially for children with AIDS. She enlisted Americans from both 
parties and all walks of life in her cause, and she awakened America to 
AIDS.
    I will never forget what she said about her daughter in her address 
to the Democratic Convention:
    ``She taught me to love when all I wanted to do was hate. She taught 
me to help others when all I wanted to do was help myself. She taught me 
to be brave when all I felt was fear. My daughter and I loved each other 
with simplicity. America, we can do the same.''
    We will all miss Elizabeth Glaser. We need more like her. We must 
honor her memory by finishing the work to which she gave everything she 
had.