PAI Urges Congress to Support PATHWAY Act

Washington, DC - July 10, 2006

In response to the tremendous need for greater flexibility in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in-country, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, with 56 original co-sponsors, introduced H.R. 5674, the Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth (PATHWAY) Act of 2006. PATHWAY will require the President to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat the spread of HIV among women and children and eliminate the requirement that 33% of all HIV/AIDS prevention assistance go toward abstinence-until-marriage programs. PAI urges Congress to support this bill and allow countries the flexibility to develop HIV/AIDS prevention programs that respond to the unique needs of the epidemic in their countries rather than arbitrary quotas developed more with politics than prevention in mind.

Under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), funding for prevention programs is limited to 20% of the total budget. Of that 20%, one-third of funds are restricted to abstinence-until-marriage programs. According to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, these funding restrictions compromise the ability of local country teams to create an integrated prevention program designed to address HIV and AIDS within their own country laws and cultures.

Among those at greatest risk of being excluded under this flawed policy are those most at risk of infection—women and girls. While abstinence may be preferred, it is too often not a choice for young girls who are married at a very early age, for women and girls who are forced to exchange sex for food, or for married women whose husbands are not faithful. By advocating a more well-rounded approach to HIV/AIDS prevention, Congresswoman Lee’s bill would give women and girls a better chance to lead a life free from HIV and AIDS.

Tomorrow is World Population Day and a perfect time to remember that the HIV and AIDS epidemic is one of the most urgent issues we are facing in our world today. This bill is a major step forward towards helping recipients of U. S. HIV/AIDS prevention dollars craft more comprehensive and country-specific plans to curb the spread of this disease. In the end, country leadership and country owned plans are what is needed to end this epidemic and save the lives of millions of people all over the globe—especially women and girls. In response to the tremendous need for greater flexibility in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in-country, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, with 56 original co-sponsors, introduced H.R. 5674, the Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth (PATHWAY) Act of 2006. PATHWAY will require the President to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat the spread of HIV among women and children and eliminate the requirement that 33% of all HIV/AIDS prevention assistance go toward abstinence-until-marriage programs. PAI urges Congress to support this bill and allow countries the flexibility to develop HIV/AIDS prevention programs that respond to the unique needs of the epidemic in their countries rather than arbitrary quotas developed more with politics than prevention in mind.

Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.