President Obama has taken the final steps to eliminate the U.S. ban on HIV positive people from entering the United States.
It has been one of the most restrictive HIV policies first enacted when President Regan was president — a time when most people thought only “the gays” were stricken by the disease.
According to the AFP, the ban will effectively be lifted early next year. Currently, only South Korea, China and the Ukraine have an HIV ban in effect. The reason for the ban is most likely close minded homophobics who think a person can catch the AIDS by shaking hands with an infected person.
In twist of irony, George W. Bush took the first step to banning the ban when he signed a law eliminating the ban in July 2008, according to the U.S. Visa Bureau. However, the U.S. government moves at glacial pace and it will be more than 18 months between the law enacted the ban actually being lifted.
It’s nice to catch up with the rest of the world and have the Statue of Liberty finally mean what she says again.
