Following through with a measure that was begun by Congress and President Bush last year, President Obama is lifting the ban on travel into the US for those living with HIV/AIDS. The administration will publish the final rule on Monday that lifts the band that has been in effect for 22 years.

The President said of the decision:
- "A couple of years ago Michelle and I were in Africa and we tried to combat the stigma when we were in Kenya by taking a public HIV/AIDS test. And I'm proud to announce today we're about to take another step towards ending that stigma.
Twenty-two years ago, in a decision rooted in fear rather than fact, the United States instituted a travel ban on entry into the country for people living with HIV/AIDS. Now, we talk about reducing the stigma of this disease -- yet we've treated a visitor living with it as a threat. We lead the world when it comes to helping stem the AIDS pandemic -- yet we are one of only a dozen countries that still bar people from HIV from entering our own country.If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it."
The ruling will allow families living with HIV/AIDS to stay together and will encourage people who have come in contact with the disease to get tested and get treatment.
This is a monumental step forward in treating those who suffer from HIV/AIDS not as individuals who should be quarantined, but as valuable members of society who deserve to be treated as equals.
What do you think of the ban being lifted?
via GOOD via Daily Dish













