Congress Should ‘Quickly Pass’ Bill To Provide Assistance to AIDS Orphans in Developing Countries, Editorial Says

Congress should "quickly pass" with "a few adjustments" a bill (HR 4061) that would provide orphans in developing countries with basic care and support, educational opportunities and medical care, including HIV/AIDS care and treatment, an Indianapolis Star editorial says (Indianapolis Star, 6/9). The measure, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) in the House and by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) in the Senate, would create a separate USAID office to better coordinate and provide assistance in support of children's basic care; treatment for HIV-positive children; school food programs; elimination of school fees; and inheritance rights (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 4/5). The HIV/AIDS pandemic is "swelling the pool of orphans in developing nations," but Lugar and Lee's measure would "brighten" the future for the "more than 121 million children worldwide who do not attend school," the editorial says. Congress should approve the measure after making a few changes to it -- including using "explicit" language about eliminating school fees and authorizing generic antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV-positive children -- to make the bill stronger, the editorial concludes (Indianapolis Star, 6/9).