As President Obama announced last week, the final rule to end the ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants was published in the Federal Register today. The repeal will go into effect on January 4, 2010. The discussion of the final rule makes note of the more than 19,000 comments in support of lifting the ban (thank you HRC members and supporters for contributing the vast majority of them) and eloquently explains why the ban should end:
“The primary benefit of this rule is that each year… immigrants who otherwise qualify for entry but are denied based solely on HIV status will now be able to enter the country. Although we are unable to quantify all of the benefits of this change in policy, we believe it will help reduce stigmatization of HIV-infected people; bring family members together who had been barred from entry (thus strengthening families); and allow HIV-infected immigrants with skills in high demand to enter the U.S. to seek employment and contribute as productive members of U.S. society, and if they are able to obtain better health care in the United States, to improve health outcomes and productivity.”
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