Bay Windows - National News, August 5, 1999
Scott A. Giordano, Bay Windows staff

The House defeated an anti-gay amendment on July 29 that was aimed at limiting gay and lesbian couples from adopting in the District of Columbia, but then passed other amendments aimed at undermining D.C.'s needle-exchange programs and the medical use of marijuana. All were attached to D.C.'s Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriations Bill, and gay activists now will work to kill the amendments in a House-Senate Conference Committee.

The first amendment was offered by U.S. Rep. Steve Largent, R-Okla., and would have prohibited joint adoptions in the District by individuals not related by blood nor marriage. After the nation's leading gay and lesbian political organizations ù the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the Log Cabin Republicans (LCR, for gay Republicans) and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) ù each sent out Action Alerts urging constituents to contact their legislators in opposition of the Largent Amendment, their efforts were partly responsible for the amendment's July 29 defeat, 215-213.

"The welfare of children triumphed over anti-gay politics," said HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg after the vote. "Having two legal guardians is in the best interests of the child because it often gives greater financial security and ensures that an adopted child can receive health and other benefits from both parents."

There were 3,100 children in the D.C. foster-care system waiting to be adopted, as of June 1999, according to the HRC.

The second amendment was offered by U.S. Rep Todd Tiahrt, R-Kans., and would prohibit public and private funding of D.C.'s needle-exchange programs aimed at reducing new HIV infections. The House passed that amendment, 241-187.

"This amendment unfairly singles out [D.C.] residents and sets a dangerous precedent for states and localities where needle-exchange programs operate," Stachelberg said. "This measure flies in the face of sound science and will result in more people suffering and becoming infected with HIV."

Earlier in the week, D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey and former Reagan administration Surgeon General C. Everett Koop wrote separate letters to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill, in which they asked him not to forbid the District from using money on needle-exchange programs.

"I am now writing to express my strong belief that local programs of clean needle-exchange can be effective means of preventing the spread of the disease without increasing the use of illicit drugs," Koop wrote. A July 29 HRC press release states that the same language included in the Tiahrt Amendment was passed last summer and has had devastating effects on the District's needle-exchange programs.

"The District of Columbia has one of the highest rates of new HIV infections in the country. Exhaustive scientific studies funded by the [National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and others have all concluded that needle exchange programs can provide free HIV infections among intravenous drug users while not increasing drug use," the HRC says in its release. "Needle-exchange programs can provide free HIV testing and serve as an important gateway to drug rehabilitation programs and medical care. The Tiahrt Amendment unfairly singles out the District of Columbia ... Like all other states and localities, the District should be allowed to use its own funds to implement their own HIV prevention plan without congressional interference."

A third amendment was offered by U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., and was aimed at undermining a referendum in which District of Columbia residents approved the medicinal use of marijuana to help relieve suffering patients. That amendment was passed by the House on a voice vote.

"We will work tirelessly during the months ahead to defeat the remaining problematic amendments in [a House-Senate] conference committee," Stachelberg said.
990805
BY990801

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1999. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1999. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .