Political Quotes

“less than a month ago, I stood before my colleagues to address an extremely important public health concern, one that is essentially a life or death issue here in the District of Columbia. AIDS rates in our Nation's capital are the highest in the country. Nationwide, more than one third of AIDS cases are related to drug use, and substance use by a parent has led to over half of the AIDS cases among children. Statistics are more dramatic among women, where 3 out of 4 women diagnosed with AIDS became infected through their own use or a partner's use of contaminated needles. Exhaustive scientific review has found needle exchange programs to be an effective way to slow the spread of HIV and AIDS. The American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the American Association of Pediatrics, and the American Public Health Association endorse these programs. Yet in spite of the overwhelming support from public health experts, we here in Congress have prevented the District of Columbia from using its own local funds to finance these lifesaving programs since 1999.”