The AmFAR Report

release the refugees as soon as he
takes office. The conditions there
have barely improved, but at least
more people know what an outrage
the camp is."
Intern Program
In a more recent expansion of
AmFAR's public policy program,
the Foundation established'the
Sheldon W. Andelson/AmFAR
Internship Program in 1991. The
internship, funded by grants from
the Sheldon W. Andelson Foundation and from Arlen and Michele
Andelson, provides an opportunity
for students interested in public
health policy and the law to gain
excellent experience in the development of health policy through the
legislative process. Through these
internships, AmFAR provides
crucial training for some of
tomorrow's leaders in the fight
against HIV/AIDS.
AmFAR is looking forward to
the new possibilities for progress
under the Clinton administration.
Dr. Fineberg is hopeful of many
changes in the next few years. "I am
extremely heartened by President
Clinton's strong statements supporting necessary research and
programs to combat the HIV
epidemic", said Dr. Fineberg. "Even
more important, though, is that
President Clinton has made clear
his dedication to non-discrimination
of people affected by the epidemic."
AmFAR's public policy office is
well-grounded for progress with
the new administration. The policy
office interacts with many national
AIDS organizations and advocates.
Through Jane Silver's-experience in
public health and government, her
sense of urgency, and her involvement in HIV/AIDS public policy
issues across the country, AmFAR
has played a role in advising the
Clinton transition team on what the
country's new HIV/AIDS policy
should be (see page 3). As she told
the press and the incoming administration, "We must hurry. It is a

matter of life and death."

DR. KRIM TESTIFIES BEFORE THE
NATIONAL COMMISSION ON AIDS
n Tuesday, November 17, the National Commission on AIDS held a
K full day of hearings on "An Agenda for AIDS: Actions Needed in
Early 1993". Dr. Mathilde Krim, AmFAR's Founding Co-Chair and
Chairman of the Board, was asked to testify before the Commission on
what AmFAR believes the government's top priorities should be in the
fight against AIDS.
In her testimony, Dr. Krim summarized what researchers now know
about HIV, characterized the nation's response to the AIDS epidemic to
date, and reviewed the government's efforts against AIDS in research
funding, education, prevention, medical care and social services.
Dr. Krim proposed a number of specific recommendations to President-elect Clinton on 1: the importance of the President's leadership in the
overall fight against AIDS and 2: changes needed in biomedical and
behavioral research. A detailed excerpt from Dr. Krim's testimony is
printed below.

RECOMMENDATIONS
ON PRESIDENTIAL
LEADERSHIP:
1. Transition Team
We recommend that the Presidentelect immediately appoint someone with thorough knowledge of
HIV/AIDS on his Health Transition Team.*
2. Moral Leadership
AmFAR believes that our fundamental'national values, as expressed in our Constitution and
Bill of Rights, are entirely sufficient to provide the ethical underpinning needed for position
statements, policies and actions
that will help solve the problems
and dilemmas raised by HIV/
AIDS. But the President (as well as
other officials in our government
and still many others in positions
* Tim Westmoreland, an AIDS export,
has since been appointed to the Health
Transition Team.

of leadership) must repeatedly
and unswervingly articulate the
principles that guide their actions,
and so provide moral leadership.
As part of this moral leadership -
and because society's response to
AIDS has been so intricately
related to hostile views in much of
the public, directed at homosexuals - it is important that moral
leadership include strongly
countering prejudice and discrimination against them. We gratefully
acknowledge that President-elect
Clinton has already recognized
this need.
3. Actions by Executive Order
We recommend that the President
take certain actions by executive
order during the first hurndred
days of-his administration. They
are fully justified on ethical
grourds and have great symbolic
value.
(i) He should lift the ban on
gays in the Armed Forces, continuing to stress that it'is.not
sexual orientation that must