Shedding Light on the Darkness

President Bush recently made a most welcome commitment to passage of legislation barring discrimination against those infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS.

Federal law already is in place guarding against discrimination in housing--but not in employment. Fear of just that kind of discrimination discourages many from seeking the appropriate tests for the infection. This is a source of great frustration to public-health officials in their efforts to trace the epidemiology of the disease and improve programs of control and treatment.

“For those who are living with HIV and AIDS, our response is clear,” the President told the National Business Leadership Conference on AIDS. “They deserve our compassion. They deserve our care. And they deserve more than a chance--they deserve a cure.”

His endorsement of the Americans With Disabilities Act, already passed by the Senate, should facilitate quick passage. His commitment to the fight against discrimination would have been stronger, however, had he also spoken against the legislation now in effect that requires foreigners with AIDS to obtain a waiver to visit the United States. This is an unnecessary and discriminatory measure, serving no substantial public-health purpose. Not surprisingly, it is the object of a worldwide protest, now taking the form of a threatened boycott of the international AIDS conference scheduled for San Francisco in June.

Another notable omission from the President’s address was a commitment of more money. This drew criticism from Robert D. Haas, president and chief executive of Levi Strauss & Co. “Even if the private sector helps create ‘a thousand points of light’ across the land,” Haas commented, “it will be of no avail if there is darkness in the White House.” It’s hard to put it any better than that.