OPINION:
We were disheartened to read Newt Gingrich’s op-ed “We Must Save PEPFAR to protect the most vulnerable from AIDS” (web, Aug. 14).
After 20 years of well-documented bipartisanship, highly effective implementation and lifesaving outcomes, the current debate over the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is baffling.
We are in disbelief to hear PEPFAR being described by some conservatives as a “slush fund for abortions.” That anything so inaccurate and irresponsible could be purported is shocking.
This false assertion has put one of the most successful U.S. global health programs at risk unnecessarily.
Having lived for decades with our feet planted firmly in both the HIV/AIDS and pro-life worlds, we felt called to speak out in support of the program’s five-year reauthorization.
Over the years, we have had the opportunity to witness PEPFAR’s impact firsthand. Several of our own clinics were wrapped into the program. And we can say with total conviction that PEPFAR resources are not used to fund abortions.
In fact, throughout our 40 years of supporting tens of thousands of HIV-positive women in the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa, abortion was never raised as an issue.
In the U.S., “reproductive sexual health” is often conflated with abortion. In the PEPFAR world, it is a term that encompasses maternal-child health, including mother-to-child transmission of HIV. To use reproductive sexual health interchangeably with abortion in the context of PEPFAR is simply incorrect.
PEPFAR saves millions of lives, both the living and the unborn, and has the overwhelming support of the international pro-life community. It is one of the most effective U.S. global health initiatives and has gotten us very close to defeating HIV/AIDS forever.
We do agree with Mr. Gingrich on one point: We must save PEPFAR. To us, that means cleanly reauthorizing the program for another five years and allowing it to continue its lifesaving mission without any unnecessary bumps in the road.
SHEPHERD SMITH
Co-founder and former president, Children’s AIDS Fund International
ANITA SMITH
President, Children’s AIDS Fund International
Herndon, Virginia
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