GOVERNMENT Action and Lack Thereof
Throughout history in the United States, government action has always had an impact on the American people. More specifically, these actions cause a drastic change on the people’s perspectives of controversial topics. For instance, during the time when Africans and Women were not allowed to vote, the majority of Americans agreed with this law. It has been a century since the passage of the 14th and 19th amendments, and if one asked the public what they thought about voters suffrage today, the majority would agree that everyone should have the right to vote. On the other hand, when a group of individuals believe that there is a lack of government action, or disagree with the government’s decisions, they create movements that allow them to share their perspective with others, and eventually make a difference. Both government action and lack thereof occurred during the AIDS epidemic in America. At first, there was panic and discrimination towards individuals with AIDS, and of the AIDS disease in general. However, as time went on, both government action and lack of it created a dramatic change in the way people view, and treat individuals living with AIDS, as well as the way they view AIDS in general.
Lack of government action and intervention
For a situation as severe as the AIDS epidemic in America, one would expect that combating this disease would have been a top priority for the United States Government. Specifically, one would expect that the president at the time, Ronald Reagan, would have been actively involved in addressing the public about what strategic efforts were being made to combat the disease. However, many believed Reagan did close to nothing about the AIDS outbreak during the early 80’s. Consider a passage from an article taken from the AP News Archive. “Even though he labels AIDS research a top administration priority, President Reagan has only spoken once about the deadly disease, and then only when prompted by reporters” (1). This remark is about the fact that Reagan first publicly spoke about AIDS four years after it severely broke out in the United States. Not only had Reagan avoided this topic for four years, he also only addressed it when asked. The following passage taken from a New York Times article furthers addresses the severity of Reagan’s silence:
"His remarks appeared to be the first time he has publicly addressed the issue of the lethal disease that has claimed thousands of victims, primarily among male homosexuals, intravenous drug addicts and hemophilliacs whose condition requires frequent blood transfusions. Although the Department of Health and Human Services has declared AIDS its ''number one priority,'' Mr. Reagan himself has been criticized by groups calling for more Government action on the disease."
(2)
Obviously there were numerous people out there who felt that Reagan was not doing much to combat this disease, as well as raise public awareness about it. Not only did the Department of Health and Human Services declare AIDS their number one priority, but according to the CDC there were 13,074 cases of AIDS, with 6, 116 resulting in deaths prior to this first public address (1). These numbers truly show how little Reagan was concerned about the spread of this disease to the American people. So why was Reagan so silent about the epidemic? Many people believe that since AIDS was still considered a homosexual disease, Reagan did not care to speak publicly about it. Regardless if this was the case or not, it would be expected that when human health is at risk, the person who is looked up upon by the American people would address the public about any information they needed to know during this time. Reagan did not put his countries health first, and he left many people with the same negative and prejudice view of AIDS.
Even though the president did not address the severity of this disease publicly, many others felt the need to spread awareness. As a result of Reagan’s silence, AIDS activists Cleve Jones came up with the idea to start a movement called the NAMES Project Memorial Quilts, also known as the AIDS quilts (3). The idea behind the AIDS quilts was to create a campaign to memorialize those who lost their lives to this disease, spread awareness, and raise funds for AIDS research. The actual quilt was a 3-by-6 foot panel made by family and friends to represent the lives of their loved ones. Every quilt was decorated in a unique manner, and accompanied by a letter that described the individual’s life. In order for these quilts to really have an impact on the American people, these quilts were all brought together and put on display throughout the country. A very historical moment of this project was on October 11, 1987, where 1,920 of these quilts were displayed at the National Mall in Washing, D.C. (3). The sheer size of this display was an extremely effective way to show the severity of this epidemic, as well as put pressure on the Government to take a different approach in combating this disease. These quilts were a great way to educate others, as well as change the negative stigma that Aids had in the 80’s. The quilts allowed people who were in the dark about this disease to physically see that thousands of Americans were dying. Ultimately the people were able to come to the realization that more needed to be done, and that Aids was not a disease to be ignored or discriminated against any longer. This movement became huge in America, spreading to all 50 states, as well as to 39 countries. As of 1996, the Aids quilts movement had raised 1.7 million for AIDS service organizations (4).
Another significant movement during this time was the Aids Coalition To Unleash Power (Act-UP). This activist group officially began in March 1987, and its objectives were to raise awareness, bring about legislation, and to make medication and treatment of aids more accessible to those living with the disease. One thing that the people of Act-Up were not was silent. Act-up’s strategies to be heard were through public demonstrations, where the group members would protest, and cause obstruction. What made these demonstrations successful was that they were held in places like on Wall Street, and in front of The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) buildings. Even though many things where accomplished through Act-Up, their most successful achievement was making new drugs available to AIDS patients. For instance, consider a quote taken from a New York Times article. “Perhaps Act-Up's clearest imprint has been its role in speeding the dissemination of new drugs, a change that may affect treatment of many diseases in addition to AIDS.” Prior to these changes, drugs could only to be distributed after going through a series of tests, which ultimately kept many potential drugs unavailable to patients. The problem with this was that many AIDS patients did not have time to wait for a drug that could potentially save their lives. Therefore, this accomplishment was huge not only for the ACT-Up program, but for everyone living with disease as well. Act-UP was solely a response to the lack of government action, and in the end many positive outcomes resulted. The accomplishments made by this group spread the idea that AIDS was no longer a disease to be discriminative towards, but as a disease that needs to be treated in order to save lives. Ultimately, the drugs made available through the ACT-Up program paved the way for how AIDS is treated today. When someone is sick with this disease, they are immediately given the drugs and treatment that they need. This may have not been possible if it were not for this groups actions.
(5)
Numerous people felt the government was not contributing enough to the AIDS epidemic. The public has been complaining about the lack of spending towards finding a cure for the disease. People need to realize that the government is actually working hard to combat the AIDS virus. During the year 1989 the government reported to spend around 2.2 billion. The amount of spending that has gone to the discovery of a cure for AIDS has been increasing every year. The government’s contribution to the disease focuses on three different areas, which are prevention, care and research.
Prevention of AIDS has been enforced since the beginning of the epidemic. At first people did not really understand how the virus was caught. The public was warned to be careful once sexual intercourse and intravenous drug abuse were determined to cause the spread of the virus. A New York Times article published in the year 1987 states that President Reagan visited a college in Philadelphia, where he encouraged students to become abstinent. He brought to their attention that avoiding sexual relations was the best way to avoid contracting AIDS. Teachers would not emphasize the danger of the virus within their classroom. President Reagan felt that sex education was needed to help prevent the spread of the disease. In his speech he states, “The Federal role must be to give educators accurate information about the disease. How that information is used must be up to schools and parents, not Government.'' The reason he said this was because the public was criticizing him on the contribution of his administration. Reagan made it clear that the government’s duty was to provide accurate information about the disease. However, the way schools and parents distributed the information to students was no longer the government’s responsibility. (6)
The government has also spent a lot of money taking care of individuals who carried the disease. In 1989 the government spent a total of 2.2 billion (8). A total of 1.3 billion was used for research, education and prevention. The rest of the money was used to provide care of the ill. A group of individuals who severely suffer from AIDS are children. Many children who carry the disease have been abandoned or moved into foster homes. With the help of the government these children are being given a home. With the support of government funding the children have the privilege of becoming part of a new family. According to a New York Times article, the New York Foundling Hospital agency will offer reimbursements to families who adopt children with AIDS (7). They will also be offering support services and training to the families. The children now have an opportunity to be raised in a normal environment despite their health issue. The government has tried to accommodate these children because they were unfortunate enough contract the virus at birth. The children were at no fault since the disease was given through the parent of the child. Just as government has done their contribution on prevention and care of AIDS, they have also done their share on research.
As stated before, 1.3 billion was spent on research in the year 1989. The research has given the public a better look at what they are up against when facing AIDS. Through research scientists have determined that this disease is like no other the world has witnessed. By comparing what was known at the start of the epidemic to what is known now, one can identify how much knowledge has been obtained about the virus. The reason the public knows how the virus originated and how it can be caught is all thanks to studying the virus. Many people have criticized the government about the lack of spending they have put into research. The government seems like the honorable target when looking for someone to blame, but they are the ones trying to help the most. What gets people irritated is the fact that there is still no cure for AIDS. However, when taking a look at what the government has done to contribute to the epidemic one can see that they are not hiding in the shadows. In fact, they are the reason why we are one step closer to finding a cure for this horrifying disease.
Lack of government action and intervention
For a situation as severe as the AIDS epidemic in America, one would expect that combating this disease would have been a top priority for the United States Government. Specifically, one would expect that the president at the time, Ronald Reagan, would have been actively involved in addressing the public about what strategic efforts were being made to combat the disease. However, many believed Reagan did close to nothing about the AIDS outbreak during the early 80’s. Consider a passage from an article taken from the AP News Archive. “Even though he labels AIDS research a top administration priority, President Reagan has only spoken once about the deadly disease, and then only when prompted by reporters” (1). This remark is about the fact that Reagan first publicly spoke about AIDS four years after it severely broke out in the United States. Not only had Reagan avoided this topic for four years, he also only addressed it when asked. The following passage taken from a New York Times article furthers addresses the severity of Reagan’s silence:
"His remarks appeared to be the first time he has publicly addressed the issue of the lethal disease that has claimed thousands of victims, primarily among male homosexuals, intravenous drug addicts and hemophilliacs whose condition requires frequent blood transfusions. Although the Department of Health and Human Services has declared AIDS its ''number one priority,'' Mr. Reagan himself has been criticized by groups calling for more Government action on the disease."
(2)
Obviously there were numerous people out there who felt that Reagan was not doing much to combat this disease, as well as raise public awareness about it. Not only did the Department of Health and Human Services declare AIDS their number one priority, but according to the CDC there were 13,074 cases of AIDS, with 6, 116 resulting in deaths prior to this first public address (1). These numbers truly show how little Reagan was concerned about the spread of this disease to the American people. So why was Reagan so silent about the epidemic? Many people believe that since AIDS was still considered a homosexual disease, Reagan did not care to speak publicly about it. Regardless if this was the case or not, it would be expected that when human health is at risk, the person who is looked up upon by the American people would address the public about any information they needed to know during this time. Reagan did not put his countries health first, and he left many people with the same negative and prejudice view of AIDS.
Even though the president did not address the severity of this disease publicly, many others felt the need to spread awareness. As a result of Reagan’s silence, AIDS activists Cleve Jones came up with the idea to start a movement called the NAMES Project Memorial Quilts, also known as the AIDS quilts (3). The idea behind the AIDS quilts was to create a campaign to memorialize those who lost their lives to this disease, spread awareness, and raise funds for AIDS research. The actual quilt was a 3-by-6 foot panel made by family and friends to represent the lives of their loved ones. Every quilt was decorated in a unique manner, and accompanied by a letter that described the individual’s life. In order for these quilts to really have an impact on the American people, these quilts were all brought together and put on display throughout the country. A very historical moment of this project was on October 11, 1987, where 1,920 of these quilts were displayed at the National Mall in Washing, D.C. (3). The sheer size of this display was an extremely effective way to show the severity of this epidemic, as well as put pressure on the Government to take a different approach in combating this disease. These quilts were a great way to educate others, as well as change the negative stigma that Aids had in the 80’s. The quilts allowed people who were in the dark about this disease to physically see that thousands of Americans were dying. Ultimately the people were able to come to the realization that more needed to be done, and that Aids was not a disease to be ignored or discriminated against any longer. This movement became huge in America, spreading to all 50 states, as well as to 39 countries. As of 1996, the Aids quilts movement had raised 1.7 million for AIDS service organizations (4).
Another significant movement during this time was the Aids Coalition To Unleash Power (Act-UP). This activist group officially began in March 1987, and its objectives were to raise awareness, bring about legislation, and to make medication and treatment of aids more accessible to those living with the disease. One thing that the people of Act-Up were not was silent. Act-up’s strategies to be heard were through public demonstrations, where the group members would protest, and cause obstruction. What made these demonstrations successful was that they were held in places like on Wall Street, and in front of The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) buildings. Even though many things where accomplished through Act-Up, their most successful achievement was making new drugs available to AIDS patients. For instance, consider a quote taken from a New York Times article. “Perhaps Act-Up's clearest imprint has been its role in speeding the dissemination of new drugs, a change that may affect treatment of many diseases in addition to AIDS.” Prior to these changes, drugs could only to be distributed after going through a series of tests, which ultimately kept many potential drugs unavailable to patients. The problem with this was that many AIDS patients did not have time to wait for a drug that could potentially save their lives. Therefore, this accomplishment was huge not only for the ACT-Up program, but for everyone living with disease as well. Act-UP was solely a response to the lack of government action, and in the end many positive outcomes resulted. The accomplishments made by this group spread the idea that AIDS was no longer a disease to be discriminative towards, but as a disease that needs to be treated in order to save lives. Ultimately, the drugs made available through the ACT-Up program paved the way for how AIDS is treated today. When someone is sick with this disease, they are immediately given the drugs and treatment that they need. This may have not been possible if it were not for this groups actions.
(5)
Numerous people felt the government was not contributing enough to the AIDS epidemic. The public has been complaining about the lack of spending towards finding a cure for the disease. People need to realize that the government is actually working hard to combat the AIDS virus. During the year 1989 the government reported to spend around 2.2 billion. The amount of spending that has gone to the discovery of a cure for AIDS has been increasing every year. The government’s contribution to the disease focuses on three different areas, which are prevention, care and research.
Prevention of AIDS has been enforced since the beginning of the epidemic. At first people did not really understand how the virus was caught. The public was warned to be careful once sexual intercourse and intravenous drug abuse were determined to cause the spread of the virus. A New York Times article published in the year 1987 states that President Reagan visited a college in Philadelphia, where he encouraged students to become abstinent. He brought to their attention that avoiding sexual relations was the best way to avoid contracting AIDS. Teachers would not emphasize the danger of the virus within their classroom. President Reagan felt that sex education was needed to help prevent the spread of the disease. In his speech he states, “The Federal role must be to give educators accurate information about the disease. How that information is used must be up to schools and parents, not Government.'' The reason he said this was because the public was criticizing him on the contribution of his administration. Reagan made it clear that the government’s duty was to provide accurate information about the disease. However, the way schools and parents distributed the information to students was no longer the government’s responsibility. (6)
The government has also spent a lot of money taking care of individuals who carried the disease. In 1989 the government spent a total of 2.2 billion (8). A total of 1.3 billion was used for research, education and prevention. The rest of the money was used to provide care of the ill. A group of individuals who severely suffer from AIDS are children. Many children who carry the disease have been abandoned or moved into foster homes. With the help of the government these children are being given a home. With the support of government funding the children have the privilege of becoming part of a new family. According to a New York Times article, the New York Foundling Hospital agency will offer reimbursements to families who adopt children with AIDS (7). They will also be offering support services and training to the families. The children now have an opportunity to be raised in a normal environment despite their health issue. The government has tried to accommodate these children because they were unfortunate enough contract the virus at birth. The children were at no fault since the disease was given through the parent of the child. Just as government has done their contribution on prevention and care of AIDS, they have also done their share on research.
As stated before, 1.3 billion was spent on research in the year 1989. The research has given the public a better look at what they are up against when facing AIDS. Through research scientists have determined that this disease is like no other the world has witnessed. By comparing what was known at the start of the epidemic to what is known now, one can identify how much knowledge has been obtained about the virus. The reason the public knows how the virus originated and how it can be caught is all thanks to studying the virus. Many people have criticized the government about the lack of spending they have put into research. The government seems like the honorable target when looking for someone to blame, but they are the ones trying to help the most. What gets people irritated is the fact that there is still no cure for AIDS. However, when taking a look at what the government has done to contribute to the epidemic one can see that they are not hiding in the shadows. In fact, they are the reason why we are one step closer to finding a cure for this horrifying disease.