Senate Repeals HIV Travel Ban
Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 07.17.08 | 12:34 PM ET
Since 1993, U.S. border agents could deny entry to any tourist or immigrant with HIV. But that will likely change now. The Senate voted yesterday to repeal the ban, and the move is expected to be signed by President Bush.
“[F]or those of us who have long dreamed of becoming Americans, and have been prevented by 1993 law from even being able to enter or leave the US without waivers or fear or humiliation, this is a massive burden lifted,” Andrew Sullivan writes in Atlantic Online. “I’m not exaggerating when I say that it’s one of the happiest days of my whole life.” Sullivan called the ban “a relic of the days when HIV was a source of fear and stigma and terror.”
The U.S. wasn’t exactly in great company with the ban.
According to this report, “Only a dozen countries have bans on HIV-positive visitors, including Russia, Sudan, Saudia Arabia and Lybia.”
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Jim Benning is the editor and co-founder of World Hum.
Dave 07.17.08 | 2:51 PM ET
I did not even know that a ban like this was still around. To hear about it getting lifted is great news. I can’t even believe we treated people that way. Lepers are people too so why did people with HIV get treated the same way?
Grizzly Bear Mom 07.17.08 | 3:51 PM ET
Some people believe that Gaetan DugasFrench Canadian Air Steward intentionally spread HIV around the world. It is wise to quarantine any communicable disease such as measles and HIV to limit its spread, which is why we register Syphilitics and inform their partners.
In addition to these reasons, mitigating admission of anyone whose cost, in this case healthcare, but it could be elder or some other expense, is costly, make economic sense.
Unfortunately in the 1980s the ?U.S.? public was so scared of the disease that they ostracized those with it (denying Ryan White his right to attend school, etc.). This caused HIV/AIDS to be handled as a political issue, instead of as a public health one.
The government was slow to respond then, and is slow to respond now.
Julia 07.17.08 | 4:25 PM ET
Long overdue. Hard to believe, but the U.S. has never hosted an International HIV/AIDS Conference because of it.
Jim Benning 07.17.08 | 8:35 PM ET
That is hard to believe, Julia. And ridiculous.