From: Hrccomm@aol.com
Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 16:04:44 -0500
Subject: President Clinton Declares HIV Military Ban Unconstitutional

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NEWS from the
Human Rights Campaign

1101 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
email:  communications@hrcusa.org
WWW:    http://www.hrcusa.org
______________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, February 9, 1996

   HRC PLEASED TO SEE ADMINISTRATION TAKE
ACTION AGAINST PERNICIOUS DORNAN MEASURE 
                                    
Administration Takes Bold Steps To Overturn HIV Military Ban
                                    
    GO TO HRC'S WEBSITE TO SEND PERSONAL
    MESSAGES THANKING THE PRESIDENT AND
  URGING CONGRESS TO REPEAL THIS MEASURE.
                            http://www.hrcusa.org

Washington --The Clinton administration took a momentous step
toward fairness Friday as the Justice Department challenged the
constitutionality of a measure in the defense spending bill to
discharge all service members with HIV, the Human Rights Campaign
said.
     "Once the president signs this bill, he takes responsibility
for this measure. We asked him to put the full force of his
administration behind overturning it and he has done just that.
We applaud this excellent response,'  said Elizabeth Birch, HRC's
executive director. "This is precisely the kind of leadership we
expect from Bill Clinton."
     Clinton is scheduled to sign the defense authorization bill
Saturday. It contains a provision, introduced by Rep. Bob Dornan,
R-Calif., ordering the discharge within six months of
the 1,049 HIV-positive service members currently in the armed
forces.
     "Once the president signs this bill, he takes responsibility
for repealing this measure," Birch said."We are confident that he
will put the full force of his administration behind passing
legislation to overturn it."
     A bill to repeal the HIV measure was introduced in the House
on Feb. 1 by Reps. Peter Torkildsen, R-Mass., Jane Harman,
D-Calif., Connie Morella, R-Md., and Ron Dellums, D-Calif. It is
expected to be introduced in the Senate by Sens. William Cohen,
R-Maine and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. Currently, the bill has 71
co-sponsors in the House and 34 in the
Senate.
     Birch also praised NBA basketball star Magic Johnson. who
fired off a letter Friday at the request of HRC in support of the
repeal bill. It urged Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole and House
Speaker Newt Gingrich to help move the measure through Congress.
     The Dornan provision singles out service members with HIV
and treats them differently from those with other chronic medical
conditions, Birch said.. "It would remove trained, experienced,
physically healthy and productive men and women from the armed
forces merely because they have a politically unpopular virus,"
she said.
     Service members with the virus that causes AIDS currently
are allowed to serve their country as long as they can perform
their duties, but they are not deployed overseas. The same policy
is applied to service members who have other chronic medical
conditions such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease or cancer.
     The Pentagon has said that about half the HIV-positive
service members are married, and on average, have served for a
decade. Nearly 20 percent of them are officers.
     The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian
and gay political organization, with members throughout the
country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign
support and educates the public to ensure that lesbian and gay
Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in
the community.
                                                                     
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