Obama, U.S. Foreign Policy, and HIV

Some advocates are calling on President Obama's administration to change the nation's approach to global social and health issues, including HIV/AIDS, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, the efforts are part of a push by advocates to "transform the way the United States deals with matters of sex, marriage and religious values in the international arena," which "will play out in upcoming United Nations conferences and meetings that set international norms on issues including human rights, public health, family planning and HIV/AIDS." Joseph Amon, head of the HIV/AIDS and Human Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, said that although President George W. Bush made significant investment in global efforts against HIV/AIDS, the programs relied too heavily on abstinence-based initiatives. Amon said, "If we want to have an impact on the AIDS epidemic, we cannot allow moral ideological consideration to trump scientific evidence and human rights." The Post reports that some liberal advocates anticipate the Obama administration will "pursue a cautious pace" in making global policy changes and some social conservatives "are bracing for a long period in the political wilderness" (Lynch, Washington Post, 1/18).