Mike Pence: “I rise in support of the Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and…”

“I rise in support of the Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. The Bible tells us to whom much is given much is expected. And I believe the United States has a moral obligation to lead the world in confronting the pandemic of HIV/AIDS. The dimensions of this crisis are truly staggering. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has infected more than 60 million people worldwide. It has killed more than 25 million, a number which grows grievously every day by more than 8,500. HIV/AIDS has orphaned some 14 million children. And today, 70 percent of the people in the world with HIV/AIDS reside in Africa. Within that continent, there are entire countries where more than one-third of the adult population is infected. More startlingly, if current infection rates continue, new epicenters for the disease are likely to arise out of India, China, Eastern Europe with numbers that could surpass Africa in a few short years. And the threat this pandemic poses to our security is also real. Left unaddressed, this plague will continue to undermine the stability of nations throughout the two-thirds world, leaving behind collapsing economies and tragedy and desperation, a breeding ground for extremist violence. This is truly a global crisis. And because the United States can render timely assistance, I believe we must.”