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1998-0091-F
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13525-005
Folder Title:
National Leadership Coalition on AIDS 3/29/90 [OA 4727] [1]
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NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
CRYSTAL GATEWAY MARRIOTT
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1990, 11:15 A.M.
THANK YOU, LOUIS SULLIVAN. AND THANKS TO LARRY
WILLIFORD OF ALLSTATE AND B.J. STILES FROM THE
COALITION. DR. JUNE OSBORN, DR. DAVID ROGERS, AND
BELINDA MASON OF THE AIDS COMMISSION, WITH WHOM I JUST
MET. MY FRIEND AND PHYSICIAN, DR. BURTON LEE.
I AM DELIGHTED TO BE HERE WITH YOU, THE LEADERS
WHO GUIDE AMERICAN BUSINESS AS IT HELPS THOSE SUFFERING
WITH HIV AND AIDS. YOU MAKE OUR HEARTS GLAD. AND YOU
MAKE YOUR COUNTRY PROUD. III
OTHER GENERATIONS HAVE FACED LIFE-THREATENING
MEDICAL CRISES, FROM POLIO TO THE PLAGUE. THIS VIRUS
IS OUR CHALLENGE. NOT A CHALLENGE WE SOUGHT. NOT A
CHALLENGE WE CHOSE. BUT TODAY OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS
CLEAR: WE MUST MEET THIS CHALLENGE. WE MUST BEAT THIS
VIRUS. FOR WHETHER TALKING ABOUT A NATION OR AN
INDIVIDUAL, CHARACTER IS MEASURED NOT BY OUR TRAGEDIES
-- BUT BY OUR RESPONSE TO THOSE TRAGEDIES. III
- 2 -
AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE LIVING WITH HIV AND AIDS,
OUR RESPONSE IS CLEAR: THEY DESERVE OUR COMPASSION.
THEY DESERVE OUR CARE. AND THEY DESERVE MORE THAN A
CHANCE -- THEY DESERVE A CURE. 111
AMERICA WILL ACCEPT NOTHING LESS. WE ARE SLASHING
RED TAPE. ACCELERATING SCHEDULES. BOOSTING RESEARCH.
AND SOMEWHERE OUT THERE, THERE'S A NOBEL PRIZE -- AND
THE GRATITUDE OF PLANET EARTH -- WAITING FOR THE MAN OR
WOMAN WHO DISCOVERS THE ANSWER THAT'S ELUDED EVERYONE
ELSE. III
WE PRAY THAT DAY WILL COME SOON. BUT UNTIL THAT
DAY -- UNTIL THIS VIRUS CAN BE DEFEATED BY SCIENCE --
THERE'S A BATTLE TO BE WAGED BY SOCIETY. III
BECAUSE IN 1990, THE MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPON IN OUR
ARSENAL AGAINST AIDS IS NOT JUST MEDICATION, 11 BUT
ALSO EDUCATION. III
OUR GOAL IS TO TURN IRRATIONAL FEAR INTO RATIONAL
FACTS.
- 3 -
EVERY AMERICAN MUST LEARN WHAT AIDS IS -- AND WHAT
AIDS IS NOT. AND THEY MUST LEARN NOW. YOU IN THIS
ROOM ALREADY KNOW. THE HIV VIRUS IS NOT SPREAD BY
HANDSHAKES OR HUGS. YOU CAN'T GET IT FROM FOOD OR
DRINK. COUGHING OR SNEEZING. OR BY SHARING BATHROOMS
OR TOWELS OR CONVERSATION.
THE TRANSMISSION OF HIV IS AS SIMPLE AS IT IS
DEADLY. IN MOST CASES, IT'S DETERMINED NOT BY WHAT YOU
ARE -- BUT BY WHAT YOU DO -- AND BY WHAT YOU FAIL TO
DO. III
LET ME STATE IT CLEARLY: PEOPLE ARE PLACED AT
RISK NOT BY THEIR DEMOGRAPHICS, BUT BY THEIR DEEDS. BY
THEIR BEHAVIOR. III
AND so IT IS OUR DUTY TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT EVERY
AMERICAN HAS THE ESSENTIAL INFORMATION NEEDED TO
PREVENT THE SPREAD OF HIV AND AIDS. BECAUSE WHILE THE
IGNORANT MAY DISCRIMINATE AGAINST AIDS -- AIDS WON'T
DISCRIMINATE AMONG THE IGNORANT. 111
- 4 -
LIKE MANY OF YOU, BARBARA AND I HAVE HAD FRIENDS
WHO HAVE DIED OF AIDS. OUR LOVE FOR THEM WHEN THEY
WERE SICK AND WHEN THEY DIED WAS JUST AS GREAT AND JUST
AS INTENSE AS FOR ANYONE LOST TO HEART DISEASE OR
CANCER OR ACCIDENTS.
PROBABLY EVERYONE HERE HAS READ THE HEARTBREAKING
STORIES ABOUT AIDS BABIES AND THOSE INFECTED BY
TRANSFUSIONS. WHEN OUR OWN DAUGHTER WAS DYING OF
LEUKEMIA, WE ASKED THE DOCTOR THE SAME QUESTION EVERY
HIV FAMILY MUST ASK -- WHY -- WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING TO
OUR BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRL. AND THE DOCTOR SAID: "YOU
HAVE TO REALIZE THAT EVERY WELL PERSON IS A MIRACLE.
IT TAKES BILLIONS OF CELLS TO MAKE A WELL PERSON. AND
ALL IT TAKES IS ONE CELL TO BE BAD TO DESTROY A WHOLE
PERSON."
IN THIS NATION, IN THIS DECADE, THERE IS ONLY ONE
WAY TO DEAL WITH AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS SICK. WITH
DIGNITY. COMPASSION. CARE. CONFIDENTIALITY. AND
WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION. III
- 5 -
ONCE DISEASE STRIKES -- WE DON'T BLAME THOSE WHO
ARE SUFFERING. WE DON'T SPURN THE ACCIDENT VICTIM WHO
DIDN'T WEAR A SEATBELT. WE DON'T REJECT THE CANCER
PATIENT WHO DIDN'T QUIT SMOKING. WE TRY TO LOVE THEM
AND CARE FOR THEM AND COMFORT THEM. WE DO NOT FIRE
THEM, OR EVICT THEM, OR CANCEL THEIR INSURANCE.
TODAY I CALL ON THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO
GET ON WITH THE JOB OF PASSING A LAW -- AS EMBODIED IN
THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT -- THAT PROHIBITS
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THOSE WITH HIV AND AIDS. WE'RE
IN A FIGHT AGAINST A DISEASE -- NOT A FIGHT AGAINST
PEOPLE. AND WE WON'T TOLERATE DISCRIMINATION. 111
THE DISEASE IS ATTACKING OUR MOST PRECIOUS
RESOURCE -- OUR PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY OUR YOUNG. THE
STATISTICS ARE NUMBING. YOU HEARD THEM THIS MORNING.
BUT JUST LOOK AT THE AMAZING QUILTS HANGING HERE TODAY.
THEY PROVE THAT NO ONE IS A STATISTIC. EVERY LIFE HAS
ITS OWN FABRIC. ITS OWN COLORS. ITS OWN PURPOSE. ITS
OWN SOUL. AND LIKE THE QUILTS, NO TWO ARE ALIKE. III
- 6 -
WHEN BARBARA AND I LEFT WASHINGTON FOR CHRISTMAS,
OUR LAST STOP WAS A CLINIC UP AT NIH. WE WERE
IMPRESSED BY THE DETERMINATION OF THE PEOPLE THERE --
THE DOCTORS, NURSES, AND HEALTH CARE WORKERS -- AND
ESPECIALLY THE BRAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING WITH HIV.
WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT CARING. A LOT ABOUT FAMILY.
AND A LOT ABOUT HOPE. WE SAW THE FACE OF HUMANITY IN
THE FACE OF AIDS.
YOU, Too, ARE IN A POWERFUL, UNIQUE POSITION TO
INFLUENCE THE RESPONSE TO HIV AND AIDS. WASHING OUR
HANDS OF IT WON'T HELP SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. BUT ROLLING
UP OUR SLEEVES WILL. III
THE ROSTER OF PARTICIPANTS AT THIS CONFERENCE IS
AN HONOR ROLL. ALLSTATE SPONSORED A LANDMARK
CONFERENCE ON HIV AND WORK. FORTUNE MAGAZINE LAUNCHED
A SURVEY ON C.E.O.'S RESPONSE TO HIV. GENERAL MOTORS
PLEDGED TO CONDUCT AN EDUCATION PROGRAM. OTHERS ARE
FIGHTING THE SPREAD OF HIV BY FIGHTING TO KEEP SCHOOLS
AND WORKPLACES DRUG-FREE. THIS IS AMERICA RESPONDING
TO A CRISIS. THIS IS AMERICA AT ITS BEST. III
- 7 -
THIS EPIDEMIC IS HAVING A MAJOR IMPACT ON OUR
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. THE FEDERAL RESPONSE IS
UNPRECEDENTED. IN 1982, WE KNEW LITTLE ABOUT AIDS --
AND SPENT ONLY $8 MILLION. BUT THIS YEAR I HAVE ASKED
CONGRESS FOR ALMOST $3.5 BILLION TO BATTLE HIV. MONEY
FOR BASIC RESEARCH. FOR HIV TREATMENT AND EDUCATION.
FOR PROTECTING CIVIL RIGHTS. III
FROM SEATTLE TO BOSTON, FROM DALLAS TO DETROIT,
FEDERAL GRANTS HAVE HELPED COORDINATE THE EFFORTS OF
CARE PROVIDERS, BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO
SET PRIORITIES AND POOL RESOURCES TO MEET THE TREATMENT
NEEDS OF PEOPLE WITH AIDS.
WE'VE INITIATED CLINICAL TRIALS FOR PROMISING NEW
THERAPIES FOR HIV. EXPANDED THE AVAILABILITY OF
EXPERIMENTAL DRUGS. APPROVED THREE NEW THERAPIES THAT
FOR THE FIRST TIME OFFER HELP TO HIV-INFECTED PEOPLE
BEFORE THEY BECOME SICK WITH AIDS. WE'VE STARTED A
TOLL-FREE NUMBER WHERE HIV PATIENTS AND DOCTORS CAN GET
STATE-OF-THE-ART INFORMATION ON NEW TREATMENTS. WORKED
WITH THE P.T.A. TO DISTRIBUTE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
COPIES OF THE "AIDS PREVENTION GUIDE" FOR USE IN
SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES NATIONWIDE.
- 8 -
AND OUR $10 BILLION WAR ON DRUGS IS ALSO A WAR ON
AIDS. IV DRUG USE NOW ACCOUNTS FOR SOME OF THE FASTEST
GROWING INFECTION RATES -- AFFLICTING AMERICANS THAT
ARE OFTEN AMONG THOSE LEAST ABLE TO GET ADEQUATE
MEDICAL HELP.
AMERICA HAS THE MOST SOPHISTICATED HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM IN THE WORLD. BUT IT IS NOT WITHOUT ITS
PROBLEMS. WE FACE MANY CHALLENGES. OUR SYSTEM DEPENDS
ON PRIVATE INSURANCE AND INDIVIDUAL PAYMENTS, AS WELL
AS GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS. AIDS MAGNIFIES THE CHALLENGES,
INCLUDING THE CHALLENGE OF EXPANDING ACCESS, BRINGING
COSTS UNDER CONTROL, AND OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO
QUALITY CARE. WITH THESE CONCERNS IN MIND, I ASKED DR.
LOUIS SULLIVAN TO LEAD A CABINET-LEVEL REVIEW OF HEALTH
CARE IN THE 1990'S. AND BUSINESSES LIKE THOSE YOU
REPRESENT MUST PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN HELPING IMPROVE OUR
NATION'S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
THE CRISIS IS NOT OVER. WE REPORT TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF NEW CASES EVERY YEAR. AND MANY PREDICT WE
CAN EXPECT TO CONTINUE TO DO SO IN THIS DECADE, AND
EVEN INTO THE NEXT CENTURY.
- 9 -
AND YET, "WHERE THERE IS LIFE THERE IS HOPE.' "
THERE ARE HOPEFUL SIGNS. TO BEGIN WITH, WE CAN BE
ENCOURAGED BY THE NEWS THAT CURRENT PROJECTIONS OF THE
INFECTION RATE WILL NOT BE AS HIGH AS WE THOUGHT JUST A
YEAR AGO.
MY ADMINISTRATION RECENTLY ACTED TO EXTEND A-Z-T
COVERAGE TO HELP HIV-INFECTED PEOPLE NOT YET SICK WITH
AIDS. ALL 50 STATES NOW PROVIDE MEDICAID COVERAGE FOR
A-Z-T TREATMENTS. THANKS TO THESE ACTIONS, MORE AND
MORE PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO LIVE AND WORK WITH HIV.
KEEP THEM IN YOUR WORKFORCE -- AS I KNOW MANY OF YOU
ARE ALREADY DOING, AS LEADERS IN THIS EFFORT. THEY CAN
SERVE MANY, MANY MORE PRODUCTIVE YEARS WITH NO THREAT
TO YOU, YOUR OTHER WORKERS, OR YOUR COMPANIES. IT WILL
REDUCE COSTS FOR EVERYONE. AND IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO
DO. III
THE PACE OF PROGRESS IS PROMISING. THE HIV VIRUS
HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED, ISOLATED, AND ATTACKED WITH
EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENTS IN A SPAN OF LESS THAN 10
YEARS. THE NORMAL, CENTURIES-LONG EVOLUTION OF
DISEASE AND TREATMENT COMPRESSED INTO A DEÇADE.
- 10 -
AND THIS RACE AGAINST TIME HAS PRODUCED AN
EXPLOSION IN KNOWLEDGE AND BASIC UNDERSTANDING ABOUT
THE NATURE OF DISEASE AND IMMUNOLOGY. LIKE THE
UNEXPECTED TECHNOLOGICAL BOONS FROM APOLLO'S RACE TO
THE MOON, SOME PHYSICIANS PREDICT THE RACE TO CURE AIDS
MAY EVEN LEAD TO A CURE FOR CANCER. III
DOLLARS SPENT FOR AIDS RESEARCH ARE DOLLARS SPENT
FOR THE BETTER HEALTH OF ALL AMERICANS. AIDS RESEARCH
STRIKES AT THE HEART OF MANY HUMAN HEALTH PROBLEMS FROM
INFECTIOUS DISEASE TO AGING AND CANCER. IT INCLUDES
RESEARCH ON A CLASS OF VIRUSES NOW INCREASINGLY
BELIEVED TO BE THE CAUSE OF NOT ONLY AIDS, BUT ALSO
INCURABLE DISEASES LIKE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY, MULTIPLE
SCLEROSIS AND AT LEAST TWO FORMS OF LEUKEMIA.
WE'RE ON A WAR-TIME FOOTING AT NIH AND CDC -- THE
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL. TONIGHT, LIKE EVERY
NIGHT, THE LIGHTS WILL BURN LATE IN BETHESDA AND
ATLANTA, AS A GROUP OF AMERICAN PIONEERS WORK TO SOLVE
THIS PROBLEM. IF THEY DO -- I SHOULD SAY, WHEN THEY DO
-- IT WILL BE ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS OUR NATION
COULD DO FOR THE WORLD. III
- 11 -
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT LIKE HELL. BUT
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO FIGHT FOR HOPE. AMERICA HAS A
UNIQUE CAPACITY FOR BEATING THE ODDS -- AND ASTOUNDING
THE WORLD. III
DURING MY OWN CHILDHOOD, THE SILENT, WHISPERED
TERROR WAS A MYSTERIOUS KILLER CALLED POLIO. LIKE HIV,
THE VIRUS IGNORED CLASS DISTINCTIONS AND GEOGRAPHIC
BOUNDARIES. MONDAY WOULD COME, AND KIDS WHO'D BEEN IN
SCHOOL ON FRIDAY WERE SIMPLY NEVER SEEN AGAIN.
THEATERS WERE CLOSED, SUMMER CAMPS, SWIMMING POOLS.
AS WITH AIDS, THERE WAS A LOT OF IGNORANCE.
THOUSANDS OF STRAY CATS AND DOGS. PUT TO DEATH. KIDS
SLEEPING WITH CAMPHOR INHALERS. AT LEAST ONE TOWN WAS
FUMIGATED WITH D.D.T.
THERE WERE TERRIFYING OUTBREAKS IN THE TEENS, IN
THE THIRTIES, IN THE FIFTIES. A CURE WAS so FAR
DISTANT THE EXPERTS REFUSED TO SPECULATE. 1111 AND
THEN, SUDDENLY, IT WAS OVER. THE DREADED IRON LUNG,
UNUSED, CLUTTERING HOSPITAL HALLWAYS. CHILDREN AGAIN
GROWING UP IN A WORLD WITHOUT FEAR. III
- 12 -
MANY COMPARISONS HAVE BEEN MADE TO EPIDEMICS PAST.
CHOLERA. SMALL POX. YELLOW FEVER. NONE OF THEM
PERFECT. so LET ME BOIL DOWN THE LESSONS OF POLIO TO
TWO:
THERE WAS A LOT OF IGNORANCE -- LET'S LEARN FROM
THAT. AND IN THE DARKEST OF HOURS -- HOPE CAME
UNEXPECTEDLY, POWERFULLY AND WITH FINALITY. LET'S WORK
HARD TO SEE THAT DAY COME TO PASS. III
TOGETHER, WE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE, FOR THOSE
WITH HIV AND AIDS -- AND FOR ALL AMERICANS. 1111
THANK YOU. AND MAY GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE
UNTIL 11:25 A.M. EST
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1990
TEXT OF REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO THE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
Arlington Ballroom
Crystal Gateway Marriott
Arlington, Virginia
March 29, 1990
I am delighted to be here with you, the leaders who guide
American business as it helps those suffering with HIV and AIDS.
You make our hearts glad. And you make your country proud.
Other generations have faced life-threatening medical crises,
from polio to the plague. This virus is our challenge. Not a
challenge we sought. Not a challenge we chose. But today our
responsibility is clear: We must meet this challenge. We must
beat this virus. For whether talking about a nation or an
individual, character is measured not by our tragedies -- but by
our response to those tragedies.
And for those who are living with HIV and AIDS, our response is
clear: They deserve our compassion. They deserve our care.
And they deserve more than a chance -- they deserve a cure.
America will accept nothing less. We are slashing red tape.
Accelerating schedules. Boosting research. And somewhere out
there, there's a Nobel prize -- and the gratitude of planet Earth
-- waiting for the man or woman who discovers the answer that's
eluded everyone else.
We pray that day will come soon. But until that day -- until
this virus can be defeated by science -- there's a battle to be
waged by society.
Because in 1990, the most effective weapon in our arsenal against
AIDS is not just medication, but also education.
Our goal is to turn irrational fear into rational facts.
Every American must learn what AIDS is -- and what AIDS is not.
And they must learn now. You in this room already know. The HIV
virus is not spread by handshakes or hugs. You can't get it from
food or drink, coughing or sneezing, or by sharing bathrooms or
towels or conversation.
The transmission of HIV is as simple as it is deadly. In most
cases, it's determined not by what you are -- but by what you do
-- and by what you fail to do.
Let me state it clearly: People are placed at risk not by their
demographics, but by their deeds -- by their behavior.
And so it is our duty to make certain that every American has the
essential information needed to prevent the spread of HIV and
AIDS. Because while the ignorant may discriminate against
AIDS, AIDS won't discriminate among the ignorant.
- more -
- 2 -
Like many of you, Barbara and I have had friends who have died of
AIDS. Our love for them when they were sick and when they died
was just as great and just as intense as for anyone lost to heart
disease or cancer or accidents.
Probably everyone here has read the heartbreaking stories about
AIDS babies and those infected by transfusions. When our own
daughter was dying of leukemia, we asked the doctor the same
question every HIV family must ask -- why -- why this was
happening to our beautiful little girl. And the doctor said:
"You have to realize that every well person is a miracle. It
takes billions of cells to make a well person. And all it takes
is one cell to be bad to destroy a whole person.'
In this Nation, in this decade, there is only one way to deal
with an individual who is sick. With dignity, compassion. care,
confidentiality, and without discrimination.
Once disease strikes -- we don't blame those who are suffering.
We don't spurn the accident victim who didn't wear a seatbelt.
We don't reject the cancer patient who didn't quit smoking. We
try to love them and care for them and comfort them. We do not
fire them, or evict them, or cancel their insurance.
Today I call on the House of Representatives to get on with
the job of passing a law -- as embodied in the Americans with
Disabilities Act -- that prohibits discrimination against those
with HIV and AIDS. We're in a fight against a disease -- not a
fight against people. And we won't tolerate discrimination.
The disease is attacking our most precious resource -- our
people, especially our young. The statistics are numbing. You
heard them this morning. But just look at the amazing quilts
hanging here today. They prove that no one is a statistic.
Every life has its own fabric, its own colors, its own purpose,
its own soul. And like the quilts, no two are alike.
When Barbara and I left Washington for Christmas, our last stop
was a clinic up at NIH. We were impressed by the determination
of the people there -- the doctors, nurses, and health care
workers -- and especially the brave people who are living with
HIV. We learned a lot about caring, a lot about family, and a
lot about hope. We saw the face of humanity in the face of AIDS.
You, too, are in a powerful, unique position to influence the
response to HIV and AIDS. Washing our hands of it won't help
solve this problem, but rolling up our sleeves will.
The roster of participants at this Conference is an honor
roll. Allstate sponsored a landmark conference on HIV and work.
Fortune magazine launched a survey on C.E.O.'s response to HIV.
General Motors pledged to conduct an education program. Others
are fighting the spread of HIV by fighting to keep schools and
workplaces drug-free. This is America responding to a crisis.
This is America at its best.
This epidemic is having a major impact on our health care system.
The Federal response is unprecedented. In 1982, we knew little
about AIDS -- and spent only $8 million. But this year I have
asked Congress for almost $3.5 billion to battle HIV -- money for
civil rights.
basic research, for HIV treatment and education, for protecting
From Seattle to Boston, from Dallas to Detroit, Federal grants
have helped coordinate the efforts of care providers, business
and community organizations to set priorities and pool resources
to meet the treatment needs of people with AIDS.
- more -
- 3 -
We've initiated clinical trials for promising new therapies for
HIV, expanded the availability of experimental drugs. Approved
three new therapies that for the first time offer help to HIV-
infected people before they become sick with AIDS. We've started
a toll-free number where HIV patients and doctors can get state-
of-the-art information on new treatments; worked with the P.T.A.
to distribute hundreds of thousands of copies of the "AIDS
Prevention Guide" for use in schools and families nationwide.
And our $10 billion war on drugs is also a war on AIDS. IV drug
use now accounts for some of the fastest growing infection rates
-- afflicting Americans that are often among those least able to
get adequate medical help.
America has the most sophisticated health care system in the
world, but it is not without its problems. We face many
challenges. Our system depends on private insurance and
individual payments, as well as government programs. AIDS
magnifies the challenges, including the challenge of expanding
access, bringing costs under control, and overcoming obstacles to
quality care. With these concerns in mind, I asked Dr. Louis
Sullivan to lead a Cabinet-level review of health care in the
1990's, and businesses like those you represent must play a major
role in helping improve our Nation's health care system.
The crisis is not over. We report tens of thousands of
new cases every year. And many predict we can expect to continue
to do so in this decade, and even into the next century.
And yet, "where there is life there is hope." There are hopeful
signs. To begin with, we can be encouraged by the news that
current projections of the infection rate will not be as high as
we thought just a year ago.
My Administration recently acted to extend AZT coverage to help
HIV-infected people not yet sick with AIDS. All 50 states now
provide Medicaid coverage for AZT treatments. Thanks to these
actions, more and more people will be able to live and work with
HIV. Keep them in your workforce -- as I know many of you are
already doing, as leaders in this effort. They can serve many,
many more productive years with no threat to you, your other
workers, or your companies. It will reduce costs for everyone.
And it's the right thing to do.
The pace of progress is promising. The HIV virus has been
identified, isolated, and attacked with experimental treatments
in a span of less than 10 years. The normal, centuries-long
evolution of disease and treatment compressed into a decade.
And this race against time has produced an explosion in knowledge
and basic understanding about the nature of disease and
immunology. Like the unexpected technological boons from
Apollo's race to the moon, some physicians predict the race to
cure AIDS may even lead to a cure for cancer.
Dollars spent for AIDS research are dollars spent for the better
health of all Americans. AIDS research strikes at the heart of
many human health problems from infectious disease to aging and
cancer. It includes research on a class of viruses now
increasingly believed to be the cause of not only AIDS, but also
incurable diseases like muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis
and at least two forms of leukemia.
We're on a war-time footing at NIH and CDC -- the Centers for
Disease Control. Tonight, like every night, the lights will burn
late in Bethesda and Atlanta, as a group of American pioneers
work to solve this problem. If they do -- I should say, when
they do -- it will be one of the greatest things our Nation could
do for the world.
- more -
- 4 -
We're going to continue to fight like hell. But we're also going
to fight for hope. America has a unique capacity for beating the
odds -- and astounding the world.
During my own childhood, the silent, whispered terror was a
mysterious killer called polio. Like HIV, the virus ignored
class distinctions and geographic boundaries. Monday would come,
and kids who'd been in school on Friday were simply never seen
again. Theaters were closed, summer camps, swimming pools.
As with AIDS, there was a lot of ignorance. Thousands of stray
cats and dogs put to death. Kids sleeping with camphor inhalers.
At least one town was fumigated with D.D.T.
There were terrifying outbreaks in the teens, in the thirties, in
the fifties. A cure was so far distant the experts refused to
speculate. And then, suddenly, it was over. The dreaded iron
lung, unused, cluttering hospital hallways. Children again
growing up in a world without fear.
Many comparisons have been made to epidemics past -- cholera,
small pox, yellow fever -- none of them perfect. So let me boil
down the lessons of polio to two: There was a lot of ignorance -
- let's learn from that. And in the darkest of hours -- hope
came unexpectedly, powerfully and with finality. Let's work hard
to see that day come to pass.
Together, we will make a difference, for those with HIV and AIDS
-- and for all Americans.
# # #
PORTER INSERT
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
March 27, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR ROGER B. PORTER
FROM:
JIM PINKERTON
HANNS KUTTNER
SUBJECT:
AIDS Speech Reference to Health Care System
We have redrafted the health care discussion to bring down
expectations. A memo to Jim Cicconi providing the language is
attached.
The memo lays out the rationale for the suggestions.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
March 27, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR JAMES W. CICCONI
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER
RBP
SUBJECT:
National Leadership Conference on AIDS Speech
Following up on our conversation about the discussion of
health care system reform in the speech, I suggest replacing the
final three paragraphs on page six with the following:
America has the most sophisticated health care system in
the world. But it is not without its problems. We face many
challenges. Our system depends on private insurance and
individual payments, as well as government programs. AIDS
magnifies the challenges, including the challenge of expanding
access, bringing costs under control, and overcoming obstacles
to quality care.
With these concerns in mind, I asked Dr. Louis Sullivan
to lead a Cabinet-level review of health care in the 1990's.
please
This formulation is broader than the draft, referring to cost
I
and access as equal challenges. The President used a similar
formulation in the State of the Union address. Our efforts to
develop options relating to malpractice can help address the
& b.
challenge of "overcoming obstacles to quality care."
The reference to not knowing where the Sullivan review will
lead us has been deleted. There are surely some places the review
will not lead us; the President's State of the Union discussion
suggests that approaches not balancing cost and access are not
under consideration. Absent this reference, the last sentence on
page six should be deleted because it suggests that we have decided
that we want business to foot the tab.
CC: James W. Cicconi
Document No. 125786SS
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
3/23/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 3/26/90 2:00 PM
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
LEE
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Rm. 122,
x2930, no later than 2:00 PM, Monday, March 26, with a copy to
my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
McNally/Simon
March 23, 1990
1990 MAR 23 AM ID: 59 Draft Three (B:AIDS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
CRYSTAL GATEWAY MARRIOTT
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1990, 11:15 A.M.
Thank you,
. [ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS]
There could scarcely be a more important gathering, a more
important place for me to be than here with you -- the men and
women who guide business and industry as they focus on the best
way to help our people suffering with HIV and AIDS.
There are many team players in this struggle. Community
service organizations. Religious leaders of all persuasions.
AIDS service organizations created by volunteers, many of them
also infected with HIV. And corporations and private foundations
that together have given over $100 million to support literally
thousands of AIDS projects.
You make our hearts glad. And you make your country proud.
Other generations have faced life-threatening medical
from polio to the plague. This virus is our challenge.
LEDRIVE.
THE PLANE
Not a challenge we sought. Not a challenge we chose. But today
RESPONSIBILITY CAN BE STATED SIMPLY:
our choice is simple:
MUST
We will meet this challenge. We MUST beat this virus. For
whether talking about a nation or an individual, character is
measured not by our tragedies -- but by how we respond to those
tragedies. 111
And for those who are living with HIV and AIDS, our response
is simple: They deserve our compassion. They deserve our care.
And they deserve more than a chance -- they deserve a cure. III
BUT BEYOND COMPASSION AND CARE, WE MUST FIND
2
America will accept nothing less. We are slashing red tape.
Accelerating schedules. Boosting research. And somewhere out
there, there's a Nobel prize -- and the gratitude of the planet
DISCOVERS
Earth -- waiting for the man or woman who peers into a microscope
and sees the answer that's eluded everyone else.
We pray that day will come soon. But until that day --
BY SCIENCE
until this virus can be defeated in our hospitals -- there's a
BY SOCIETY.
battle to be waged in our homes III
Because in 1990, the single most effective weapon in our
arsenal against AIDS is not medication, 11 but education. III
We must increase our efforts to educate the public about
AIDS and how it is contracted. Our goal is to turn irrational
fear into rational facts.
Because this isn't just a fight against disease. It's also
a fight against ignorance. A fight against discrimination. III
SOME
Almost three years ago, I described our struggle against the
HIV virus as a battle against a "new and mysterious disease." "
Today, HIV is not so new and not so mysterious. Today, HIV
has joined cancer, heart disease, and accidents as one of the
deadly realities of our time.
Of these, HIV is one of the most lethal, one of the most
frightening. But HIV is also one of the most preventable.
Every American must learn what AIDS is -- and what AIDS is
not. And they must learn now. So let's shoot down some myths.
The HIV virus is not spread by handshakes or hugs. You can't get
3
it from food or drink. Coughing or sneezing. Or by sharing
bathrooms or towels or conversation.
[It's not like heart disease, where there's confusion over
OMIT. THIS
WE is DON'T BATTLE
ever-changing bits of advice on oat bran and olive oil, exercise
A
NEED.
and eggs. The transmission of AIDS is as simple as it is deadly.
TRANSAISIONS.BSE
It's determined not by what you are -- but by what you do -- and
WITH AIDS.
by what you fail to do. III
Let me state it clearly: People are placed at risk not by
their demographics, but by their deeds. By their behavior. III
And so it is our duty to make certain that every American
has the essential information needed to prevent the spread of HIV
and AIDS. Because while the ignorant may discriminate against
UNINFORMED.
AIDS -- AIDS won't discriminate among the ignorant. 111
Like many of you, Barbara and I have had friends who have
died of AIDS. Our love for them when they were sick and when
they died was just as great and just as intense as for anyone we
have lost to heart disease or cancer or accidents.
In this nation, in this decade, there is only one way to
deal with an individual who is sick. with dignity. Compassion.
Care. Confidentiality. And without discrimination. 111
Once disease strikes -- we don't blame those who are
suffering. We don't spurn the accident victim who didn't wear a
seatbelt. We don't reject the cancer patient who didn't quit
smoking. We [try to] love them and care for them and comfort them, *
We do not fire them, or evict them, or cancel their insurance.
* EVEN AS WE SEEK TO EDUCATE THE NEXT GENERATION.
4
People with AIDS are no different than people with other
disabling and life-threatening diseases. They are our colleagues
and co-workers. Our friends. Our families. THEY ARE US.
And today I call on the House of Representatives to get on
with the job of passing a law -- the Americans with Disabilities
Act -- that prohibits discrimination against those with HIV and
AIDS.
This is a fight against a disease -- not a fight against
people. III And we won't tolerate discrimination. 1111
The disease is attacking our most precious resource -- our
people, our young. Unlike many of the diseases that cause
disability in our elderly, AIDS affects many Americans now in the
prime of life. Ninety-five percent of the 115,000 Americans with
AIDS are between the ages of 20 and 59. These were the years
they planned to work and create, and save for the future. Now
their struggle is to survive.
The statistics are numbing. You heard them this morning.
But just look at the amazing quilts which hang around us today.
PERSON
They prove that no man- is a statistic. Every life has its own
fabric. Its own colors. Its own purpose. Its own soul. And
like the quilts, no two are alike. 111
These quilts commemorate the dead. But the most important
part of our learning is with the living. And I hope that you
will go out and visit the AIDS wards. Meet with the patients and
their families. See the face of humanity in the face of AIDS.
5
When Barbara and I left Washington for the Christmas
holidays, our last stop was a clinic at the National Institutes
of Health. We were impressed by the [mettle and] determination of
the people there -- the doctors, nurses, and health care workers
-- and especially the brave people who are living with HIV. We
learned a lot about courage. A lot about family. And a lot
about hope.
Recently, we received a letter from seven who we visited.
They wrote: "Each of us looks for hope in very personal ways.
We seek comfort and warmth from those we love. We seek new
answers through participation in experimental drug studies. We
seek to enjoy the simplest of pleasures in everyday life. We
seek to make peace with ourselves and with those who don't
understand us. We seek a voice, a compassionate voice, that can
address the concerns of hundreds of thousands of people."
Ladies and gentlemen, the voice they seek must be your
voice. The voice of every American. III
Your employees will take their cues from you. You are in a
powerful, unique position to influence the response to HIV and
JIM POINTS THOUS P. of WONT.
AIDS. When someone asks: "Who will volunteer to help care for
our co-workers with AIDS?" you should be the first to say, "I
will." Washing your hands of it won't help solve this problem.
But rolling up your sleeves will. 111
The roster of participants at this Conference is an honor
roll. Allstate sponsored a landmark conference to help deal with
the impact of HIV at work. The magazine, Fortune, launched a
6
survey that helped us understand the attitudes and actions of
C.E.O.'s in responding to HIV. [An industrial giant] asked an
HIV expert to brief its key officers -- and pledged to conduct an
education program for employees. Others are fighting the spread
of HIV by fighting to keep schools and workplaces drug-free.
This is America responding to a crisis. This is America at its
best.
This epidemic is having a major impact on our health care
system. It is altering spending patterns by our government. In
1982, we knew little about AIDS -- and spent only $8 million. By
1990, that has grown to almost $3 billion -- [more, even, than the
budget of the entire FBI -- and almost double what's spent for
the National Cancer Institute.
And I have asked Congress for still more money -- almost
$3.5 billion in the next fiscal year. Money for basic research.
For HIV treatment and education. For protecting civil rights.
America has the most sophisticated health care system in the
IT FACES MANY CHALLENGES.
world. But it's not enough. Our system depends on private
insurance and individual payments, as well as government
programs. AIDS magnifies the challenges, including the challenge
of providing fair] fair access to care to all Americans ich and poor
In my State of the Union Address, I asked Dr. Louis Sullivan
to lead a Cabinet-level review of health care in the 1990's.
/
AT END
We don know yet where this review will lead us. But we do
of
INSERT
MUST PLAY MAJOR LOVE
know that businesses like those you represent will be a big part
IN HELPING
OUR NATION'S
SYSTEM.
L
of the answer to improving health care and increasing access.
7
The epidemic is not over. We report tens of thousands of
new cases every year. And many predict we can expect to continue
to do so in this decade, and even into the next century.
And yet, as in every generation, no crisis is without
hopeful signs. To begin with, we can be encouraged by the news
that current projections of the infection rate will not be as
high as we thought just a year ago.
The use of new medicines such as A-Z-T means that more and
more people with HIV will be able to live and work because these
therapies offer the potential of making it a more manageable
disease. Keep them in your workforce. They can serve many, many
more productive years with no threat to you, your other workers,
or your companies. It will reduce costs for everyone. And it's
the right thing to do. III
The pace of progress is promising. The HIV virus has been
identified, isolated, and attacked with experimental treatments
in a span of less than 10 years. The normal, centuries-long
evolution of disease and treatment compressed into a decade.
And this race against time has produced an explosion in
knowledge and basic understanding about the nature of disease and
immunology. [Like the unexpected technological boons from
DROP
Apollo's race to the moon, some physicians predict the race to
cure AIDS may even produce a cure for cancer.]
We're going to continue to fight. like hell. But we're also
going to fight for hope. America has a unique capacity for
beating the odds -- and astounding the world.
8
During my own childhood, the silent, whispered terror was a
mysterious killer called polio. Like HIV, the virus ignored
class distinctions and geographic boundaries. Monday would come,
and kids who'd been in school on Friday were simply never seen
again. Theaters were closed, summer camps, swimming pools.
As with AIDS, there was a lot of ignorance. Thousands of
stray cats and dogs put to death. Kids sleeping with camphor
inhalers. At least one town was fumigated with D.D.T. -- doing
nothing to stop polio -- and unknowingly helping endanger the
American eagle.
There were terrifying outbreaks in the teens, in the
thirties, in the fifties. A cure was so far distant the experts
refused to speculate. One doctor observed: "We have learned
very little that is new about the disease, but much that is old
about ourselves."
And then, suddenly, it was over. It happened so fast. The
dreaded iron lung, unused, cluttering hospital hallways.
Children again growing up in a world without fear.
Many comparisons have been made to epidemics past. Cholera.
DROP
The Plague. Yellow fever. None of them perfect. So let me boil
down the lessons of polio to two:
There was a lot of ignorance -- let's learn from that. And
?
in the darkest of hours -- hope came unexpectedly, powerfully and
with finality. Let's work hard to see that day come to pass. 111
Together, we will make a difference, for those with HIV and
AIDS -- and for all Americans. 1111
Thank you. And may God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
Document No. 125786
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
03/27/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
----
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
(03/27 draft 6)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
)
ROGICH
d
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
\
WINSTON
FITZWATER
LEE
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
95 : 9d 27 AAR 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
1990 MAR 2>
PM 5. 14
March 27, 1990
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON
CW
FROM:
EDWARD MCNALLY ann
SUBJECT:
REMARKS: NAT'L. LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
I. SUMMARY
Attached are draft remarks for Thursday morning's
keynote address to the National Leadership Coalition on AIDS.
II. DISCUSSION
At 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, March 29, 1990, you are
scheduled to arrive onstage at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in
Crystal City to address approximately 400 CEO's and other key
executives. Approximately 40 percent of those attending
represent corporations that were pioneers in responding to the
AIDS crisis -- while about 60 percent come from interested
corporations that are not yet participating in programs designed
to cope with AIDS in the workplace.
While the tone of the address (14 minutes,
TelePrompTer) is very serious, sober, and straightforward, our
proposed draft contains very upbeat language about America's
ability to respond to this epidemic.
It is a very personal speech, aimed at sending a
powerful message about compassion, discrimination, and hope.
McNally/Simon
March 27, 1990
Draft Six (B:AIDS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
CRYSTAL GATEWAY MARRIOTT
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1990, 11:15 A.M.
Thank you, Louis Sullivan. And thanks to Larry Williford of
Allstate and B.J. Stiles from the Coalition here. Dr. David
Rogers and Belinda Mason, my appointees to the AIDS Commission,
with whom I just met. My friend and physician, Dr. Burton Lee.
There could scarcely be a more important place for me to be
than here with you -- the men and women who guide American
business as it helps those people suffering with HIV and AIDS.
You make our hearts glad. And you make your country proud.
Other generations have faced life-threatening medical
crises, from polio to the plague. This virus is our challenge.
Not a challenge we sought. Not a challenge we chose. But today
our responsibility is clear: We must meet this challenge. We
must beat this virus. For whether talking about a nation or an
individual, character is measured not by our tragedies -- but by
our response to those tragedies. 111
And for those who are living with HIV and AIDS, our response
is clear: They deserve our compassion. They deserve our care.
And they deserve more than a chance -- they deserve a cure. 111
America will accept nothing less. We are slashing red tape.
Accelerating schedules. Boosting research. And somewhere out
there, there's a Nobel prize -- and the gratitude of planet Earth
-- waiting for the man or woman who discovers the answer that's
eluded everyone else. 111
2
We pray that day will come soon. But until that day --
until this virus can be defeated by science -- there's a battle
to be waged by society. III
Because in 1990, the most effective weapon in our arsenal
against AIDS is not just medication, 11 but also education. III
Our goal is to turn irrational fear into rational facts.
Because this isn't just a fight against disease. It's also
a fight against ignorance. A fight against discrimination. 111
Today, HIV has joined cancer, heart disease, and accidents
as one of the deadly realities of our time.
of these, HIV is one of the most lethal, one of the most
frightening. But HIV is also one of the most preventable.
Every American must learn what AIDS is -- and what AIDS is
not. And they must learn now. You in this room already know
what so many Americans don't. So, together, let's shoot down
some myths. The HIV virus is not spread by handshakes or hugs.
You can't get it from food or drink. Coughing or sneezing. or
by sharing bathrooms or towels or conversation.
The transmission of HIV is as simple as it is deadly. In
most cases, it's determined not by what you are -- but by what
you do -- and by what you fail to do. 111
Let me state it clearly: People are placed at risk not by
their demographics, but by their deeds. By their behavior. 111
And so it is our duty to make certain that every American
has the essential information needed to prevent the spread of HIV
and AIDS. Because while the ignorant may discriminate against
3
AIDS -- AIDS won't discriminate among the ignorant.
Like many of you, Barbara and I have had friends who have
died of AIDS. Our love for them when they were sick and when
they died was just as great and just as intense as for anyone we
have lost to heart disease or cancer or accidents.
Probably everyone here has read the heartbreaking stories
about AIDS babies and those infected by transfusions. When our
own daughter was dying of leukemia, Barbara asked the doctor the
same question every HIV family must ask -- why -- why this was
happening to our beautiful little girl. And the doctor said:
"You have to realize that every well person is a miracle. It
takes billions of cells to make a well person. And all it takes
is one cell to be bad to destroy a whole person."
We will always remember the love and compassion with which
our friends and family responded. In this nation, in this
decade, there is only one way to deal with an individual who is
sick. with dignity. Compassion. Care. Confidentiality. And
without discrimination. III
Once disease strikes -- we don't blame those who are
suffering. We don't spurn the accident victim who didn't wear a
seatbelt. We don't reject the cancer patient who didn't quit
smoking. We try to love them and care for them and comfort them.
We do not fire them, or evict them, or cancel their insurance.
People with AIDS are our colleagues and co-workers. Our
friends. Our families. THEY ARE US.
Today I call on the House of Representatives to get on with
4
the job of passing a law -- as embodied in the Americans with
Disabilities Act -- that prohibits discrimination against those
with HIV and AIDS. We're in a fight against a disease -- not a
fight against people. And we won't tolerate discrimination. 111
The disease is attacking our most precious resource -- our
people, especially our young. The statistics are numbing. You
heard them this morning. But just look at the amazing quilts
hanging here today. They prove that no one is a statistic.
Every life has its own fabric. Its own colors. Its own purpose.
Its own soul. And like the quilts, no two are alike. 111
When Barbara and I left Washington for Christmas, our last
stop was a clinic up at NIH. We were impressed by the determina-
tion of the people there -- the doctors, nurses, and health care
workers -- and especially the brave people who are living with
HIV. We learned a lot about caring. A lot about family. And a
lot about hope. We saw the face of humanity in the face of AIDS.
Recently, we received a letter from seven patients whom we
visited. They wrote: "Each of us looks for hope in very
personal ways. We seek comfort and warmth from those we love.
We seek new answers through participation in experimental drug
studies. We seek to enjoy the simplest of pleasures in everyday
life. To make peace with ourselves and with those who don't
understand us. We seek a voice, a compassionate voice, that can
address the concerns of hundreds of thousands of people. "
Ladies and gentlemen, the voice they seek must be your
voice. The voice of every American. 111
5
Your employees will take their cues from you. You are in a
powerful, unique position to influence the response to HIV and
AIDS. When someone asks: "Who will volunteer to help care for
our co-workers with AIDS?" we should be the first to say: "We
will." Washing our hands of it won't help solve this problem.
But rolling up our sleeves will.
The roster of participants at this Conference is an honor
roll. Allstate sponsored a landmark conference on HIV and work.
Fortune magazine launched a survey on C.E.O.'s response to HIV.
General Motors pledged to conduct an education program. Others
are fighting the spread of HIV by fighting to keep schools and
workplaces drug-free. This is America responding to a crisis.
This is America at its best. III
This epidemic is having a major impact on our health care
system. It is altering spending patterns by our government. In
1982, we knew little about AIDS -- and spent only $8 million.
But this year I have asked Congress for almost $3.5 billion to
battle HIV. Money for basic research. For HIV treatment and
education. For protecting civil rights. 111
America has the most sophisticated health care system in the
world. But it is not without its problems. We face many
challenges. Our system depends on private insurance and
individual payments, as well as government programs. AIDS
magnifies the challenges, including the challenge of expanding
access, bringing costs under control, and overcoming obstacles to
quality care. With these concerns in mind, I asked Dr. Louis
6
Sullivan to lead a Cabinet-level review of health care in the
1990's. And businesses like those you represent must play a
major role in helping improve our Nation's health care system.
The crisis is not over. We report tens of thousands of
new cases every year. And many predict we can expect to continue
to do so in this decade, and even into the next century.
And yet, as Barbara so often reminds me, "where there is
life there is hope." There are hopeful signs. To begin with, we
can be encouraged by the news that current projections of the
infection rate will not be as high as we thought just a year ago.
The use of new medicines such as A-Z-T means that more and
more people with HIV will be able to live and work because these
therapies offer the potential of making it a more manageable
disease. Keep them in your workforce -- as I know many of you
are already doing, as leaders in this effort. They can serve
many, many more productive years with no threat to you, your
other workers, or your companies. It will reduce costs for
everyone. And it's the right thing to do. III
The pace of progress is promising. The HIV virus has been
identified, isolated, and attacked with experimental treatments
in a span of less than 10 years. The normal, centuries-long
evolution of disease and treatment compressed into a decade.
And this race against time has produced an explosion in
knowledge and basic understanding about the nature of disease and
immunology. Like the unexpected technological boons from
Apollo's race to the moon, some physicians predict the race to
7
cure AIDS may even lead to a cure for cancer. III
We're going to continue to fight like hell. But we're also
going to fight for hope. America has a unique capacity for
beating the odds -- and astounding the world. III
During my own childhood, the silent, whispered terror was a
mysterious killer called polio. Like HIV, the virus ignored
class distinctions and geographic boundaries. Monday would come,
and kids who'd been in school on Friday were simply never seen
again. Theaters were closed, summer camps, swimming pools.
As with AIDS, there was a lot of ignorance. Thousands of
stray cats and dogs put to death. Kids sleeping with camphor
inhalers. At least one town was fumigated with D.D.T.
There were terrifying outbreaks in the teens, in the
thirties, in the fifties. A cure was so far distant the experts
refused to speculate. 1111 And then, suddenly, it was over.
The dreaded iron lung, unused, cluttering hospital hallways.
Children again growing up in a world without fear. III
Many comparisons have been made to epidemics past.
Cholera.
Small pox. Yellow fever. None of them perfect. So let me boil
down the lessons of polio to two:
There was a lot of ignorance -- let's learn from that. And
in the darkest of hours -- hope came unexpectedly, powerfully and
with finality. Let's work hard to see that day come to pass. III
Together, we will make a difference, for those with HIV and
AIDS -- and for all Americans. 1111
Thank you. And may God bless the United States of America.
#
#
Comments!
HHS
I
Still missing
Document No. 125786SS
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
3/23/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 3/26/90 2:00 PM
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
LEE
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Rm. 122,
x2930, no later than 2:00 PM, Monday, March 26, with a copy to
my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
6th Ed 26 MARAG as
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
McNally/Simon
March 23, 1990
1990 MAR 23 AM ID: 59
Draft Three (B:AIDS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
CRYSTAL GATEWAY MARRIOTT
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1990, 11:15 A.M.
Thank you,
.
[ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS]
(sounds
This is a very important
and I
There could scarcely be a more important gathering, a more
am honored to be
important place for me to be than here with you -- the men and
women who guide business and industry as they focus on the best
way to help our people suffering with HIV and AIDS.
There are many team players in this struggle. Community
service organizations. Religious leaders of all persuasions.
AIDS service organizations created by volunteers, many of them
also infected with HIV. And corporations and private foundations
that together have given over $100 million to support literally (private funding
thousands of AIDS projects.
a mount too
close in text to
exclamation of
You make our hearts glad. And you make your country proud. approval.,
Other generations have faced life-threatening medical
[People may
criticize
crises, from polio to the plague. This virus is our challenge. the amount
of Federal
Not a challenge we sought. Not a challenge we chose. But today Spending
or lack
our choice is simple:
thereof!
We will meet this challenge. We will beat this virus. For
whether talking about a nation or an individual, character is
measured not by our tragedies but by how we respond to those
all this opens us
tragedies. III
up to criticsm for lack
And for those who are living with HIV and AIDS, our response
of more visible GOVT.
response.
is simple: They deserve our compassion. They deser
And they deserve more than a chance -- they deserve
1(you got to be
bidding...)
2
America will accept nothing less. We are slashing red tape.
Accelerating schedules. Boosting research. And somewhere out
there, there's a Nobel prize -- and the gratitude of the planet
Earth -- waiting for the man or woman who peers into a microscope
and sees the answer that's eluded everyone else.
We pray that day will come soon. But until that day --
until this virus can be defeated in our hospitals -- there's a
battle to be waged in our homes. 111
Because in 1990, the single most effective weapon in our
arsenal against AIDS is not medication, 11 but education. III
We must increase our efforts to educate the public about
AIDS and how it is contracted. Our goal is to turn irrational
fear into rational facts.
Because this isn't just a fight against disease. It's also
a fight against ignorance. A fight against discrimination. III
Almost three years ago, I described our struggle against the
HIV virus as a battle against a "new and mysterious disease."
Today, HIV is not so new and not so mysterious. Today, HIV
has joined cancer, heart disease, and accidents as one of the
deadly realities of our time.
Of these, HIV is one of the most lethal, one of the most
frightening. But HIV is also one of the most preventable.
Every American must learn what AIDS is -- and what AIDS is
not. And they must learn now. So let's shoot down some myths.
The HIV virus is not spread by handshakes or hugs. You can't get
3
it from food or drink. Coughing or sneezing. or by sharing
bathrooms or towels or conversation.
It's not like heart disease, where there's confusion over
ever-changing bits of advice on oat bran and olive oil, exercise
and eggs. The transmission of AIDS is as simple as it is deadly.
It's determined not by what you are -- but by what you do -- and
by what you fail to do. III
Let me state it clearly: People are placed at risk not by
their demographics, but by their deeds. By their behavior.
And so it is our duty to make certain that every American
has the essential information needed to prevent the spread of HIV
and AIDS. Because while the ignorant may discriminate against
AIDS -- AIDS won't discriminate among the ignorant. III
Like many of you, Barbara and I have had friends who have
died of AIDS. Our love for them when they were sick and when
they died was just as great and just as intense as for anyone we
have lost to heart disease or cancer or accidents.
In this nation, in this decade, there is only one way to
deal with an individual who is sick. With dignity. Compassion.
Care. Confidentiality. And without discrimination. 111
Once disease strikes -- we don't blame those who are
suffering. We don't spurn the accident victim who didn't wear a
seatbelt. We don't reject the cancer patient who didn't quit
smoking. We try to love them and care for them and comfort them.
We do not fire them, or evict them, or cancel their insurance.
4
People with AIDS are no different than people with other
disabling and life-threatening diseases. They are our colleagues
and co-workers. Our friends. Our families. THEY ARE. US.
And today I call on the House of Representatives to get on
with the job of passing a law -- the Americans with Disabilities
Act -- that prohibits discrimination against those with HIV and
AIDS.
This is a fight against a disease -- not a fight against
people. III And we won't tolerate discrimination. \\\\
The disease is attacking our most precious resource -- our
people, our young. Unlike many of the diseases that cause
disability in our elderly, AIDS affects many Americans now in the
prime of life. Ninety-five percent of the 115,000 Americans with
AIDS are between the ages of 20 and 59. These were the years
they planned to work and create, and save for the future. Now
their struggle is to survive.
The statistics are numbing. You heard them this morning.
But just look at the amazing quilts which hang around us today.
They prove that no man is a statistic. Every life has its own
fabric. Its own colors. Its own purpose. Its own soul. And
like the quilts, no two are alike. III
These quilts commemorate the dead. But the most important
will pari Redundant.
living. And I hope that you
asIhawedone and
rds/ Meet with the patients and
the:
This is obvious
humanity in the face of AIDS.
at top of nept
page.
5
When Barbara and I left Washington for the Christmas
holidays, our last stop was a clinic at the National Institutes
of Health. We were impressed by the mettle and determination of
the people there -- the doctors, nurses, and health care workers
-- and especially the brave people who are living with HIV. We
learned a lot about courage. A lot about family. And a lot
about hope.
patients
Recently, we received a letter from seven^who we visited.
They wrote: "Each of us looks for hope in very personal ways.
We seek comfort and warmth from those we love. We seek new
answers through participation in experimental drug studies. We
seek to enjoy the simplest of pleasures in everyday life. We
seek to make peace with ourselves and with those who don't
understand us. We seek a voice, a compassionate voice, that can
address the concerns of hundreds of thousands of people.'
Ladies and gentlemen, the voice they seek must be your
voice. The voice of every American. III
Your employees will take their cues from you. You are in a
powerful, unique position to influence the response to HIV and
AIDS. When someone asks: "Who will volunteer to help care for
our co-workers with AIDS?" you should be the first to say, "I
will." Washing your hands of it won't help solve this problem.
But rolling up your sleeves will. 111
The roster of participants at this Conference is an honor
roll. Allstate sponsored a landmark conference to help deal with
the impact of HIV at work. The magazine, Fortune, launched a
6
survey that helped us understand the attitudes and actions of
C.E.O.'s in responding to HIV. [An industrial giant] asked an
HIV expert to brief its key officers -- and pledged to conduct an
education program for employees. Others are fighting the spread
of HIV by fighting to keep schools and workplaces drug-free.
This is America responding to a crisis. This is America at its
best.
This epidemic is having a major impact on our health care
system. It is altering spending patterns by our government. In
S -- and spent only $8 million. By
: $3 billion -- more, even, than the
"Public Health
d almost double what's spent for
the reference is inflammatory .5)
Enemy # 1"- -
because AIDS is now public health
S for still more money -- almost
enemy #1.
not bad!
al year. Money for basic research.
on. For protecting civil rights.
isticated health care system in the
Our system depends on private
insurance and individual payments, as well as government
programs. AIDS magnifies the challenges, including the challenge
of providing fair access to care to all Americans, rich and poor.
In my State of the Union Address, I asked Dr. Louis Sullivan
Domestic Policy Council
the
delivery system.
to lead a Cabinet level review of health care in the 1990 S.
We don't know yet where this review will lead us. But we do
must play a Key role in
know that businesses like those you represent will be a big part
pro viding the answer to
of the answer to improving health care and increasing access.
7
The epidemic is not over. We report tens of thousands of
new cases every year. And many predict we can expect to continue
to do so in this decade, and even into the next century.
And yet, as in every generation, no crisis is without
hopeful signs. To begin with, we can be encouraged by the news
that current projections of the infection rate will not be as
high as we thought just a year ago.
The use of new medicines such as A-Z-T means that more and
more people with HIV will be able to live and work because these
therapies offer the potential of making it a more manageable
disease. Keep them in your workforce. They can serve many, many
more productive years with no threat to you, your other workers,
or your companies. It will reduce costs for everyone. And it's
the right thing to do. III
The pace of progress is promising. The HIV virus has been
identified, isolated, and attacked with experimental treatments
in a span of less than 10 years. The normal, centuries-long
evolution of disease and treatment compressed into a decade.
And this race against time has produced an explosion in
knowledge and basic understanding about the nature of disease and
immunology. Like the unexpected technological boons from
Apollo's race to the moon, some physicians predict the race to
cure AIDS may even produce a cure for cancer.
The destruction, the death, the lost uppor-
We're going to continue to fight, like hell. But we're also tunities.
going to fight for hope. an improvement. ue capacity for
beating the odds -- and d like it.
8
During my own childhood, the silent, whispered terror was a
mysterious killer called polio. Like HIV, the virus ignored
class distinctions and geographic boundaries. Monday would come,
and kids who'd been in school on Friday were simply never seen
again. Theaters were closed, summer camps, swimming pools.
in dealing with polio.
As with AIDS, there was a lot of ignorance^ Thousands of
stray cats and dogs put to death. Kids sleeping with camphor
inhalers. At least one town was fumigated with D.D.T. -- doing
nothing to stop polio -- and unknowingly helping endanger the
American eagle.
There were terrifying outbreaks in the teens, in the
thirties, in the fifties. A cure was so far distant the experts
refused to speculate. One doctor observed: "We have learned
very little that is new about the disease, but much that is old
about ourselves."
And then, suddenly, it was over. It happened so fast. The
dreaded iron lung, unused, cluttering hospital hallways.
Children again growing up in a world without fear.
Many comparisons have been made to epidemics past. Cholera.
The Plague. Yellow fever. None of them perfect. So let me boil
down the lessons of polio to two:
There was a lot of ignorance -- let's learn from that. And
in the darkest of hours -- hope came unexpectedly, powerfully and
with finality. Let's work hard to see that day come to pass. III
Together, we will make a difference, for those with HIV and
AIDS -- and for all Americans. 1111
Thank you. And may God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
CRYSTAL GATEWAY MARRIOTT
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1990, 11:15 A.M.
THANK YOU, LOUIS SULLIVAN. AND THANKS TO LARRY
WILLIFORD OF ALLSTATE AND B.J. STILES FROM THE
COALITION. DR. JUNE OSBORN, DR. DAVID ROGERS, AND
BELINDA MASON OF THE AIDS COMMISSION, WITH WHOM I JUST
MET. MY FRIEND AND PHYSICIAN, DR. BURTON LEE.
I AM DELIGHTED TO BE HERE WITH YOU, THE LEADERS
WHO GUIDE AMERICAN BUSINESS AS IT HELPS THOSE SUFFERING
WITH HIV AND AIDS. YOU MAKE OUR HEARTS GLAD. AND YOU
MAKE YOUR COUNTRY PROUD. III
OTHER GENERATIONS HAVE FACED LIFE-THREATENING
MEDICAL CRISES, FROM POLIO TO THE PLAGUE. THIS VIRUS
IS OUR CHALLENGE. NOT A CHALLENGE WE SOUGHT. NOT A
CHALLENGE WE CHOSE. BUT TODAY OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS
CLEAR: WE MUST MEET THIS CHALLENGE. WE MUST BEAT THIS
VIRUS. FOR WHETHER TALKING ABOUT A NATION OR AN
INDIVIDUAL, CHARACTER IS MEASURED NOT BY OUR TRAGEDIES
-- BUT BY OUR RESPONSE TO THOSE TRAGEDIES. III
- 2 -
AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE LIVING WITH HIV AND AIDS,
OUR RESPONSE IS CLEAR: THEY DESERVE OUR COMPASSION.
THEY DESERVE OUR CARE. AND THEY DESERVE MORE THAN A
CHANCE THEY DESERVE A CURE. III
AMERICA WILL ACCEPT NOTHING LESS. WE ARE SLASHING
RED TAPE. ACCELERATING SCHEDULES. BOOSTING RESEARCH.
AND SOMEWHERE OUT THERE, THERE'S A NOBEL PRIZE -- AND
THE GRATITUDE OF PLANET EARTH -- WAITING FOR THE MAN OR
WOMAN WHO DISCOVERS THE ANSWER THAT'S ELUDED EVERYONE
ELSE. III
WE PRAY THAT DAY WILL COME SOON. BUT UNTIL THAT
DAY -- UNTIL THIS VIRUS CAN BE DEFEATED BY SCIENCE --
THERE'S A BATTLE TO BE WAGED BY SOCIETY. III
BECAUSE IN 1990, THE MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPON IN OUR
ARSENAL AGAINST AIDS IS NOT JUST MEDICATION, 11 BUT
ALSO EDUCATION. III
OUR GOAL IS TO TURN IRRATIONAL FEAR INTO RATIONAL
FACTS.
- 3 -
EVERY AMERICAN MUST LEARN WHAT AIDS IS -- AND WHAT
AIDS IS NOT. AND THEY MUST LEARN NOW. YOU IN THIS
ROOM ALREADY KNOW. THE HIV VIRUS IS NOT SPREAD BY
HANDSHAKES OR HUGS. YOU CAN'T GET IT FROM FOOD OR
DRINK. COUGHING OR SNEEZING. OR BY SHARING BATHROOMS
OR TOWELS OR CONVERSATION.
THE TRANSMISSION OF HIV IS AS SIMPLE AS IT IS
DEADLY. IN MOST CASES, IT'S DETERMINED NOT BY WHAT YOU
ARE -- BUT BY WHAT YOU DO -- AND BY WHAT YOU FAIL TO
DO. III
LET ME STATE IT CLEARLY: PEOPLE ARE PLACED AT
RISK NOT BY THEIR DEMOGRAPHICS, BUT BY THEIR DEEDS. BY
THEIR BEHAVIOR. 111
AND so IT IS OUR DUTY TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT EVERY
AMERICAN HAS THE ESSENTIAL INFORMATION NEEDED TO
PREVENT THE SPREAD OF HIV AND AIDS. BECAUSE WHILE THE
IGNORANT MAY DISCRIMINATE AGAINST AIDS -- AIDS WON'T
DISCRIMINATE AMONG THE IGNORANT. III
- 4 -
LIKE MANY OF YOU, BARBARA AND I HAVE HAD FRIENDS
WHO HAVE DIED OF AIDS. OUR LOVE FOR THEM WHEN THEY
WERE SICK AND WHEN THEY DIED WAS JUST AS GREAT AND JUST
AS INTENSE AS FOR ANYONE LOST TO HEART DISEASE OR
CANCER OR ACCIDENTS.
PROBABLY EVERYONE HERE HAS READ THE HEARTBREAKING
STORIES ABOUT AIDS BABIES AND THOSE INFECTED BY
TRANSFUSIONS. WHEN OUR OWN DAUGHTER WAS DYING OF
LEUKEMIA, BARBARA ASKED THE DOCTOR THE SAME QUESTION
EVERY HIV FAMILY MUST ASK -- WHY -- WHY THIS WAS
HAPPENING TO OUR BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRL. AND THE DOCTOR
SAID: "YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT EVERY WELL PERSON IS A
MIRACLE. IT TAKES BILLIONS OF CELLS TO MAKE A WELL
PERSON. AND ALL IT TAKES IS ONE CELL TO BE BAD TO
DESTROY A WHOLE PERSON."
IN THIS NATION, IN THIS DECADE, THERE IS ONLY ONE
WAY TO DEAL WITH AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS SICK. WITH
DIGNITY. COMPASSION. CARE. CONFIDENTIALITY. AND
WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION. III
- 5 -
ONCE DISEASE STRIKES -- WE DON'T BLAME THOSE WHO
ARE SUFFERING. WE DON'T SPURN THE ACCIDENT VICTIM WHO
DIDN'T WEAR A SEATBELT. WE DON'T REJECT THE CANCER
PATIENT WHO DIDN'T QUIT SMOKING. WE TRY TO LOVE THEM
AND CARE FOR THEM AND COMFORT THEM. WE DO NOT FIRE
THEM, OR EVICT THEM, OR CANCEL THEIR INSURANCE.
TODAY I CALL ON THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO
GET ON WITH THE JOB OF PASSING A LAW -- AS EMBODIED IN
THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT -- THAT PROHIBITS
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THOSE WITH HIV AND AIDS. WE'RE
IN A FIGHT AGAINST A DISEASE -- NOT A FIGHT AGAINST
PEOPLE. AND WE WON'T TOLERATE DISCRIMINATION. III
THE DISEASE IS ATTACKING OUR MOST PRECIOUS
RESOURCE -- OUR PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY OUR YOUNG. THE
STATISTICS ARE NUMBING. YOU HEARD THEM THIS MORNING.
BUT JUST LOOK AT THE AMAZING QUILTS HANGING HERE TODAY.
THEY PROVE THAT NO ONE IS A STATISTIC. EVERY LIFE HAS
ITS OWN FABRIC. ITS OWN COLORS. ITS OWN PURPOSE. ITS
OWN SOUL. AND LIKE THE QUILTS, NO TWO ARE ALIKE. III
- 6 -
WHEN BARBARA AND I LEFT WASHINGTON FOR CHRISTMAS,
OUR LAST STOP WAS A CLINIC UP AT NIH. WE WERE
IMPRESSED BY THE DETERMINATION OF THE PEOPLE THERE --
THE DOCTORS, NURSES, AND HEALTH CARE WORKERS -- AND
ESPECIALLY THE BRAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING WITH HIV.
WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT CARING. A LOT ABOUT FAMILY.
AND A LOT ABOUT HOPE. WE SAW THE FACE OF HUMANITY IN
THE FACE OF AIDS.
YOU, TOO, ARE IN A POWERFUL, UNIQUE POSITION TO
INFLUENCE THE RESPONSE TO HIV AND AIDS. WASHING OUR
HANDS OF IT WON'T HELP SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. BUT ROLLING
UP OUR SLEEVES WILL. III
THE ROSTER OF PARTICIPANTS AT THIS CONFERENCE IS
AN HONOR ROLL. ALLSTATE SPONSORED A LANDMARK
CONFERENCE ON HIV AND WORK. FORTUNE MAGAZINE LAUNCHED
A SURVEY ON C.E.O.'S RESPONSE TO HIV. GENERAL MOTORS
PLEDGED TO CONDUCT AN EDUCATION PROGRAM. OTHERS ARE
FIGHTING THE SPREAD OF HIV BY FIGHTING TO KEEP SCHOOLS
AND WORKPLACES DRUG-FREE. THIS IS AMERICA RESPONDING
TO A CRISIS. THIS IS AMERICA AT ITS BEST. III
- 7 -
THIS EPIDEMIC IS HAVING A MAJOR IMPACT ON OUR
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. THE FEDERAL RESPONSE IS
UNPRECEDENTED. IN 1982, WE KNEW LITTLE ABOUT AIDS --
AND SPENT ONLY $8 MILLION. BUT THIS YEAR I HAVE ASKED
CONGRESS FOR ALMOST $3.5 BILLION TO BATTLE HIV. MONEY
FOR BASIC RESEARCH. FOR HIV TREATMENT AND EDUCATION.
FOR PROTECTING CIVIL RIGHTS. III
FROM SEATTLE TO BOSTON, FROM DALLAS TO DETROIT,
FEDERAL GRANTS HAVE HELPED COORDINATE THE EFFORTS OF
CARE PROVIDERS, BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO
SET PRIORITIES AND POOL RESOURCES TO MEET THE TREATMENT
NEEDS OF PEOPLE WITH AIDS.
WE'VE INITIATED CLINICAL TRIALS FOR PROMISING NEW
THERAPIES FOR HIV. EXPANDED THE AVAILABILITY OF
EXPERIMENTAL DRUGS. APPROVED THREE NEW THERAPIES THAT
FOR THE FIRST TIME OFFER HELP TO HIV-INFECTED PEOPLE
BEFORE THEY BECOME SICK WITH AIDS. WE'VE STARTED A
TOLL-FREE NUMBER WHERE HIV PATIENTS AND DOCTORS CAN GET
STATE-OF-THE-ART INFORMATION ON NEW TREATMENTS. WORKED
WITH THE P.T.A. TO DISTRIBUTE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
COPIES OF THE "AIDS PREVENTION GUIDE" FOR USE IN
SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES NATIONWIDE.
- 8 -
AND OUR $10 BILLION WAR ON DRUGS IS ALSO A WAR ON
AIDS. IV DRUG USE NOW ACCOUNTS FOR SOME OF THE FASTEST
GROWING INFECTION RATES -- AFFLICTING AMERICANS THAT
ARE OFTEN AMONG THOSE LEAST ABLE TO GET ADEQUATE
MEDICAL HELP.
AMERICA HAS THE MOST SOPHISTICATED HEALTH CARE.
SYSTEM IN THE WORLD. BUT IT IS NOT WITHOUT ITS
PROBLEMS. WE FACE MANY CHALLENGES. OUR SYSTEM DEPENDS
ON PRIVATE INSURANCE AND INDIVIDUAL PAYMENTS, AS WELL
AS GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS. AIDS MAGNIFIES THE CHALLENGES,
INCLUDING THE CHALLENGE OF EXPANDING ACCESS, BRINGING
COSTS UNDER CONTROL, AND OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO
QUALITY CARE. WITH THESE CONCERNS IN MIND, I ASKED DR.
LOUIS SULLIVAN TO LEAD A CABINET-LEVEL REVIEW OF HEALTH
CARE IN THE 1990'S. AND BUSINESSES LIKE THOSE YOU
REPRESENT MUST PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN HELPING IMPROVE OUR
NATION'S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
THE CRISIS IS NOT OVER. WE REPORT TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF NEW CASES EVERY YEAR. AND MANY PREDICT WE
CAN EXPECT TO CONTINUE TO DO SO IN THIS DECADE, AND
EVEN INTO THE NEXT CENTURY.
- 9 -
AND YET, AS BARBARA SO OFTEN REMINDS ME, "WHERE
THERE IS LIFE THERE IS HOPE." THERE ARE HOPEFUL SIGNS.
TO BEGIN WITH, WE CAN BE ENCOURAGED BY THE NEWS THAT
CURRENT PROJECTIONS OF THE INFECTION RATE WILL NOT BE
AS HIGH AS WE THOUGHT JUST A YEAR AGO.
MY ADMINISTRATION RECENTLY ACTED TO EXTEND A-Z-T
COVERAGE TO HELP HIV-INFECTED PEOPLE NOT YET SICK WITH
AIDS. ALL 50 STATES NOW PROVIDE MEDICAID COVERAGE FOR
A-Z-T TREATMENTS. THANKS TO THESE ACTIONS, MORE AND
MORE PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO LIVE AND WORK WITH HIV.
KEEP THEM IN YOUR WORKFORCE -- AS I KNOW MANY OF YOU
ARE ALREADY DOING, AS LEADERS IN THIS EFFORT. THEY CAN
SERVE MANY, MANY MORE PRODUCTIVE YEARS WITH NO THREAT
TO YOU, YOUR OTHER WORKERS, OR YOUR COMPANIES. IT WILL
REDUCE COSTS FOR EVERYONE. AND IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO
DO. III
THE PACE OF PROGRESS IS PROMISING. THE HIV VIRUS
HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED, ISOLATED, AND ATTACKED WITH
EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENTS IN A SPAN OF LESS THAN 10
YEARS. THE NORMAL, CENTURIES-LONG EVOLUTION OF
DISEASE AND TREATMENT COMPRESSED INTO A DECADE.
- 10 -
AND THIS RACE AGAINST TIME HAS PRODUCED AN
EXPLOSION IN KNOWLEDGE AND BASIC UNDERSTANDING ABOUT
THE NATURE OF DISEASE AND IMMUNOLOGY. LIKE THE
UNEXPECTED TECHNOLOGICAL BOONS FROM APOLLO'S RACE TO
THE MOON, SOME PHYSICIANS PREDICT THE RACE TO CURE AIDS
MAY EVEN LEAD TO A CURE FOR CANCER. III
DOLLARS SPENT FOR AIDS RESEARCH ARE DOLLARS SPENT
FOR THE BETTER HEALTH OF ALL AMERICANS. AIDS RESEARCH
STRIKES AT THE HEART OF MANY HUMAN HEALTH PROBLEMS FROM
INFECTIOUS DISEASE TO AGING AND CANCER. IT INCLUDES
RESEARCH ON A CLASS OF VIRUSES NOW INCREASINGLY
BELIEVED TO BE THE CAUSE OF NOT ONLY AIDS, BUT ALSO
INCURABLE DISEASES LIKE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY, MULTIPLE
SCLEROSIS AND AT LEAST TWO FORMS OF LEUKEMIA.
WE'RE ON A WAR-TIME FOOTING AT NIH AND CDC -- THE
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL. TONIGHT, LIKE EVERY
NIGHT, THE LIGHTS WILL BURN LATE IN BETHESDA AND
ATLANTA, AS A GROUP OF AMERICAN PIONEERS WORK TO SOLVE
THIS PROBLEM. IF THEY DO -- I SHOULD SAY, WHEN THEY DO
-- IT WILL BE ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS OUR NATION
COULD DO FOR THE WORLD. III
- 11 -
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT LIKE HELL. BUT
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO FIGHT FOR HOPE. AMERICA HAS A
UNIQUE CAPACITY FOR BEATING THE ODDS -- AND ASTOUNDING
THE WORLD. III
DURING MY OWN CHILDHOOD, THE SILENT, WHISPERED
TERROR WAS A MYSTERIOUS KILLER CALLED POLIO. LIKE HIV,
THE VIRUS IGNORED CLASS DISTINCTIONS AND GEOGRAPHIC
BOUNDARIES. MONDAY WOULD COME, AND KIDS WHO'D BEEN IN
SCHOOL ON FRIDAY WERE SIMPLY NEVER SEEN AGAIN.
THEATERS WERE CLOSED, SUMMER CAMPS, SWIMMING POOLS.
AS WITH AIDS, THERE WAS A LOT OF IGNORANCE.
THOUSANDS OF STRAY CATS AND DOGS PUT TO DEATH. KIDS
SLEEPING WITH CAMPHOR INHALERS. AT LEAST ONE TOWN WAS
FUMIGATED WITH D.D.T.
THERE WERE TERRIFYING OUTBREAKS IN THE TEENS, IN
THE THIRTIES, IN THE FIFTIES. A CURE WAS SO FAR
DISTANT THE EXPERTS REFUSED TO SPECULATE. IIII AND
THEN, SUDDENLY, IT WAS OVER. THE DREADED IRON LUNG,
UNUSED, CLUTTERING HOSPITAL HALLWAYS. CHILDREN AGAIN
GROWING UP IN A WORLD WITHOUT FEAR. III
- 12 -
MANY COMPARISONS HAVE BEEN MADE TO EPIDEMICS PAST.
CHOLERA. SMALL POX. YELLOW FEVER. NONE OF THEM
PERFECT. SO LET ME BOIL DOWN THE LESSONS OF POLIO TO
TWO:
THERE WAS A LOT OF IGNORANCE -- LET'S LEARN FROM
THAT. AND IN THE DARKEST OF HOURS -- HOPE CAME
UNEXPECTEDLY, POWERFULLY AND WITH FINALITY. LET'S WORK
HARD TO SEE THAT DAY COME TO PASS. III
TOGETHER, WE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE, FOR THOSE
WITH HIV AND AIDS -- AND FOR ALL AMERICANS. 1111
THANK YOU. AND MAY GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
#
#
#
McNally/Simon
March 28, 1990
Draft Six (B:AIDS)
Seven
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
CRYSTAL GATEWAY MARRIOTT
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1990, 11:15 A.M.
Thank you, Louis Sullivan. And thanks to Larry Williford of
Allstate and B.J. Stiles from the Coalition here. Dr. David
Dr. June Osborn,
Rogers and Belinda Mason of my appointees to the AIDS Commission,
of
with whom I just met. My friend and physician, Dr. Burton Lee,
d am delighted
There could scarcely be a more important place for me to be
than here with you -- the men and women who guide American
business as it helps those people suffering with HIV and AIDS.
You make our hearts glad. And you make your country proud.
Other generations have faced life-threatening medical
crises, from polio to the plague. This virus is our challenge.
Not a challenge we sought. Not a challenge we chose. But today
our responsibility is clear: We must meet this challenge. We
must beat this virus. For whether talking about a nation or an
individual, character is measured not by our tragedies -- but by
our response to those tragedies. III
And for those who are living with HIV and AIDS, our response
is clear: They deserve our compassion. They deserve our care.
And they deserve more than a chance -- they deserve a cure. 111
America will accept nothing less. We are slashing red tape.
Accelerating schedules. Boosting research. And somewhere out
there, there's a Nobel prize -- and the gratitude of planet Earth
-- waiting for the man or woman who discovers the answer that's
eluded everyone else. III
2
We pray that day will come soon. But until that day --
until this virus can be defeated by science -- there's a battle
to be waged by society.
said thoused
Because in 1990, the most effective weapon in our arsenal
against AIDS is not just medication, but also education.
too much ?
Our goal is to turn irrational fear into rational facts.
Because this isn't just a fight against disease. It's also
a fight against ignorance. A fight against discrimination.
Today, HIV has joined cancer, heart disease, and accidents
?
as one of the deadly realities of our time.
of these, HIV is one of the most lethal, one of the most
frightening. But HIV is also one of the most preventable.
Every American must learn what AIDS is -- and what AIDS is
not. And they must learn now. You in this room already know.
what so many Americans don't. So, together, let's shoot down
Q
?
some myths The HIV virus is not spread by handshakes or hugs.
You can't get it from food or drink. Coughing or sneezing. or
by sharing bathrooms or towels or conversation.
The transmission of HIV is as simple as it is deadly. In
most cases, it's determined not by what you are -- but by what
you do -- and by what you fail to do.
Let me state it clearly: People are placed at risk not by
their demographics, but by their deeds. By their behavior. III
And so it is our duty to make certain that every American
has the essential information needed to prevent the spread of HIV
and AIDS. Because while the ignorant may discriminate against
3
AIDS -- AIDS won't discriminate among the ignorant. III
Like many of you, Barbara and I have had friends who have
died of AIDS. Our love for them when they were sick and when
they died was just as great and just as intense as for anyone we we
have lost to heart disease or cancer or accidents.
Probably everyone here has read the heartbreaking stories
about AIDS babies and those infected by transfusions. When our
own daughter was dying of leukemia, Barbara asked the doctor the
same question every HIV family must ask -- why -- why this was
happening to our beautiful little girl. And the doctor said:
"You have to realize that every well person is a miracle. It
takes billions of cells to make a well person. And all it takes
is one cell to be bad to destroy a whole person."
We will always remember the love and compassion with which
our friends and family responded. In this nation, in this
decade, there is only one way to deal with an individual who is
sick. with dignity. Compassion. Care. Confidentiality. And
without discrimination. III
Once disease strikes -- we don't blame those who are
suffering. We don't spurn the accident victim who didn't wear a
seatbelt. We don't reject the cancer patient who didn't quit
smoking. We try to love them and care for them and comfort them.
We do not fire them, or evict them, or cancel their insurance.
People with AIDS are our colleagues and CO workers. Our
friends. Our families. THEY. ARE. US.
Today I call on the House of Representatives to get on with
4
the job of passing a law -- as embodied in the Americans with
Disabilities Act -- that prohibits discrimination against those
with HIV and AIDS. We're in a fight against a disease -- not a
fight against people. And we won't tolerate discrimination. 111
The disease is attacking our most precious resource -- our
people, especially our young. The statistics are numbing. You
heard them this morning. But just look at the amazing quilts
hanging here today. They prove that no one is a statistic.
Every life has its own fabric. Its own colors. Its own purpose.
Its own soul. And like the quilts, no two are alike. 111
When Barbara and I left Washington for Christmas, our last
stop was a clinic up at NIH. We were impressed by the determina-
tion of the people there -- the doctors, nurses, and health care
workers -- and especially the brave people who are living with
HIV. We learned a lot about caring. A lot about family. And a
lot about hope. We saw the face of humanity in the face of AIDS.
Recently, we received a letter from seven patients whom we
visited. They wrote: "Each of us looks for hope in very
personal ways. We seek comfort and warmth from those we love.
telete?
We seek new answers through participation in experimental drug
studies. We seek to enjoy the simplest of pleasures in everyday
life. To make peace with ourselves and with those who don't
understand us. We seek a voice, a compassionate voice, that can
address the concerns of hundreds of thousands of people."
Ladies and gentlemen, the voice they seek must be your
voice. The voice of every American. 111
5
Your employees will take their cues from you. You are in a
powerful, unique position to influence the response to HIV and
AIDS. When someone asks: "Who will volunteer to help care for
?
our workers with AIDS?" we should be the first to say: "We
will Washing our hands of it won't help solve this problem.
But rolling up our sleeves will.
The roster of participants at this Conference is an honor
roll. Allstate sponsored a landmark conference on HIV and work.
Fortune magazine launched a survey on C.E.O.'s response to HIV.
General Motors pledged to conduct an education program. Others
are fighting the spread of HIV by fighting to keep schools and
workplaces drug-free. This is America responding to a crisis.
This is America at its best. III
This epidemic is having a major impact on our health care
The federal response is unprecedented.
system. It is altering spending patterns by our government
In
1982, we knew little about AIDS -- and spent only $8 million.
But this year I have asked Congress for almost $3.5 billion to
battle HIV. Money for basic research. For HIV treatment and
education. For protecting civil rights. III
A
America has the most sophisticated health care system in the
world. But it is not without its problems. We face many
challenges. Our system depends on private insurance and
individual payments, as well as government programs. AIDS
magnifies the challenges, including the challenge of expanding
access, bringing costs under control, and overcoming obstacles to
quality care. With these concerns in mind, I asked Dr. Louis
6
Sullivan to lead a Cabinet-level review of health care in the
1990's. And businesses like those you represent must play a
major role in helping improve our Nation's health care system.
The crisis is not over. We report tens of thousands of
new cases every year. And many predict we can expect to continue
to do so in this decade, and even into the next century.
And yet, as Barbara so often reminds me, "where there is
life there is hope." There are hopeful signs. To begin with, we
can be encouraged by the news that current projections of the
infection rate will not be as high as we thought just a year ago.
my administration announced last
The use of new medicines such as A Z-T means that more and
with HIV.
more people with HIV will be able to live and work because these
therapies offer the potential of making it a more manageable e
B
disease Keep them in your workforce -- as I know many of you
are already doing, as leaders in this effort. They can serve
many, many more productive years with no threat to you, your
other workers, or your companies. It will reduce costs for
everyone. And it's the right thing to do. III
The pace of progress is promising. The HIV virus has been
identified, isolated, and attacked with experimental treatments
in a span of less than 10 years. The normal, centuries-long
evolution of disease and treatment compressed into a decade.
And this race against time has produced an explosion in
knowledge and basic understanding about the nature of disease and
immunology. Like the unexpected technological boons from
Apollo's race to the moon, some physicians predict the race to
7
cure AIDS may even lead to a cure for cancer. III
C
We're going to continue to fight like hell. But we're also
going to fight for hope. America has a unique capacity for
beating the odds -- and astounding the world. 111
During my own childhood, the silent, whispered terror was a
mysterious killer called polio. Like HIV, the virus ignored
class distinctions and geographic boundaries. Monday would come,
and kids who'd been in school on Friday were simply never seen
again. Theaters were closed, summer camps, swimming pools.
As with AIDS, there was a lot of ignorance. Thousands of
stray cats and dogs put to death. Kids sleeping with camphor
inhalers. At least one town was fumigated with D.D.T.
There were terrifying outbreaks in the teens, in the
thirties, in the fifties. A cure was so far distant the experts
refused to speculate. 1111 And then, suddenly, it was over.
The dreaded iron lung, unused, cluttering hospital hallways.
Children again growing up in a world without fear. III
Many comparisons have been made to epidemics past. Cholera.
Small pox. Yellow fever. None of them perfect. So let me boil
down the lessons of polio to two:
There was a lot of ignorance -- let's learn from that. And
in the darkest of hours -- hope came unexpectedly, powerfully and
with finality. Let's work hard to see that day come to pass. 111
Together, we will make a difference, for those with HIV and
AIDS -- and for all Americans.
Thank you. And may God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
A
page 5
From Seattle to Boston, from Dallas to Detroit, federal
grants have helped coordinate the efforts of care providers,
business and community organizations to set priorities and pool
resources to meet the treatment needs of people with AIDS.
We've initiated clinical trials for promising new therapies
for HIV. Expanded the availability of experimental drugs.
Approved three new therapies that for the first time offer help
to HIV-infected people before they become sick with AIDS.
Started a toll-free number where HIV patients and doctors can get
state-of-the-art information on new treatments. Worked with the
P.T.A. to distribute hundreds of thousands of copies of the "AIDS
Prevention Guide" for use in schools and families nationwide.
And our $10 billion war on drugs is also a war on AIDS. IV
drug use now accounts for some of the fastest growing infection
rates -- afflicting Americans that are often among those least
able to get adequate medical help.
B
page 6
hn
My Administration recently acted to extend A-Z-T coverage to
help HIV-infected people not yet sick with AIDS. All 50 states
now provide Medicaid coverage for A-Z-T treatments. Thanks to
these actions, more and more people will be able to live and work
with HIV.
C page 7
Dollars spent for AIDS research are dollars spent for the
better health of all Americans. AIDS research strikes at the
heart of many human health problems from infectious disease to
aging and cancer. It includes research on a class of viruses now
increasingly believed to be the cause of not only AIDS, but also
currently
incurable diseases like muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis
and at least two forms of leukemia.
We're on a war-time footing at NIH and CDC -- the Center for
Disease Control. Tonight, like every night, the lights will burn
late in Bethesda and Atlanta, as a group of American pioneers
work to solve this problem. If they do, it will be one of the
greatest things our Nation could do for the world.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
March 27, 1990
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON CW
FROM:
EDWARD McNALLY anw
SUBJECT:
REMARKS: NAT'L. LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
I. SUMMARY
Attached are draft remarks for Thursday morning's
keynote address to the National Leadership Coalition on AIDS.
II. DISCUSSION
At 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, March 29, 1990, you are
scheduled to arrive onstage at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in
Crystal City to address approximately 400 CEO's and other key
executives. Approximately 40 percent of those attending
represent corporations that were pioneers in responding to the
AIDS crisis -- while about 60 percent come from interested
corporations that are not yet participating in programs designed
to cope with AIDS in the workplace.
While the tone of the address (14 minutes,
TelePrompTer) is very serious, sober, and straightforward, our
proposed draft contains very upbeat language about America's
ability to respond to this epidemic.
It is a very personal speech, aimed at sending a
powerful message about compassion, discrimination, and hope.
McNally/Simon
March 27, 1990
Draft Six (B:AIDS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
CRYSTAL GATEWAY MARRIOTT
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1990, 11:15 A.M.
Thank you, Louis Sullivan. And thanks to Larry Williford of
Allstate and B.J. Stiles from the Coalition here. Dr. David
Rogers and Belinda Mason, my appointees to the AIDS Commission,
with whom I just met. My friend and physician, Dr. Burton Lee.
There could scarcely be a more important place for me to be
than here with you -- the men and women who guide American
business as it helps those people suffering with HIV and AIDS.
You make our hearts glad. And you make your country proud.
Other generations have faced life-threatening medical
crises, from polio to the plague. This virus is our challenge.
Not a challenge we sought. Not a challenge we chose. But today
our responsibility is clear: We must meet this challenge. We
must beat this virus. For whether talking about a nation or an
individual, character is measured not by our tragedies -- but by
our response to those tragedies. III
And for those who are living with HIV and AIDS, our response
is clear: They deserve our compassion. They deserve our care.
And they deserve more than a chance -- they deserve a cure. III
America will accept nothing less. We are slashing red tape.
Accelerating schedules. Boosting research. And somewhere out
there, there's a Nobel prize -- and the gratitude of planet Earth
-- waiting for the man or woman who discovers the answer that's
eluded everyone else. 111
2
We pray that day will come soon. But until that day --
until this virus can be defeated by science -- there's a battle
to be waged by society. III
Because in 1990, the most effective weapon in our arsenal
against AIDS is not just medication, 11 but also education. III
Our goal is to turn irrational fear into rational facts.
Because this isn't just a fight against disease. It's also
a fight against ignorance. A fight against discrimination. III
Today, HIV has joined cancer, heart disease, and accidents
as one of the deadly realities of our time.
of these, HIV is one of the most lethal, one of the most
frightening. But HIV is also one of the most preventable.
Every American must learn what AIDS is -- and what AIDS is
not. And they must learn now. You in this room already know
what so many Americans don't. So, together, let's shoot down
some myths. The HIV virus is not spread by handshakes or hugs.
You can't get it from food or drink. Coughing or sneezing. or
by sharing bathrooms or towels or conversation.
The transmission of HIV is as simple as it is deadly. In
most cases, it's determined not by what you are -- but by what
you do -- and by what you fail to do. 111
Let me state it clearly: People are placed at risk not by
their demographics, but by their deeds. By their behavior. 111
And so it is our duty to make certain that every American
has the essential information needed to prevent the spread of HIV
and AIDS. Because while the ignorant may discriminate against
3
AIDS -- AIDS won't discriminate among the ignorant.
Like many of you, Barbara and I have had friends who have
died of AIDS. Our love for them when they were sick and when
they died was just as great and just as intense as for anyone we
have lost to heart disease or cancer or accidents.
Probably everyone here has read the heartbreaking stories
about AIDS babies and those infected by transfusions. When our
own daughter was dying of leukemia, Barbara asked the doctor the
same question every HIV family must ask -- why -- why this was
happening to our beautiful little girl. And the doctor said:
"You have to realize that every well person is a miracle. It
takes billions of cells to make a well person. And all it takes
is one cell to be bad to destroy a whole person."
We will always remember the love and compassion with which
our friends and family responded. In this nation, in this
decade, there is only one way to deal with an individual who is
sick. with dignity. Compassion. Care. Confidentiality. And
without discrimination. III
Once disease strikes -- we don't blame those who are
suffering. We don't spurn the accident victim who didn't wear a
seatbelt. We don't reject the cancer patient who didn't quit
smoking. We try to love them and care for them and comfort them.
We do not fire them, or evict them, or cancel their insurance.
People with AIDS are our colleagues and co-workers. Our
friends. Our families. THEY ARE US.
Today I call on the House of Representatives to get on with
4
the job of passing a law -- as embodied in the Americans with
Disabilities Act -- that prohibits discrimination against those
with HIV and AIDS. We're in a fight against a disease -- not a
fight against people. And we won't tolerate discrimination. III
The disease is attacking our most precious resource -- our
people, especially our young. The statistics are numbing. You
heard them this morning. But just look at the amazing quilts
hanging here today. They prove that no one is a statistic.
Every life has its own fabric. Its own colors. Its own purpose.
Its own soul. And like the quilts, no two are alike. 111
When Barbara and I left Washington for Christmas, our last
stop was a clinic up at NIH. We were impressed by the determina-
tion of the people there -- the doctors, nurses, and health care
workers -- and especially the brave people who are living with
HIV. We learned a lot about caring. A lot about family. And a
lot about hope. We saw the face of humanity in the face of AIDS.
Recently, we received a letter from seven patients whom we
visited. They wrote: "Each of us looks for hope in very
personal ways. We seek comfort and warmth from those we love.
We seek new answers through participation in experimental drug
studies. We seek to enjoy the simplest of pleasures in everyday
life. To make peace with ourselves and with those who don't
understand us. We seek a voice, a compassionate voice, that can
address the concerns of hundreds of thousands of people.
Ladies and gentlemen, the voice they seek must be your
voice. The voice of every American. III
5
Your employees will take their cues from you. You are in a
powerful, unique position to influence the response to HIV and
AIDS. When someone asks: "Who will volunteer to help care for
our co-workers with AIDS?" we should be the first to say: "We
will." Washing our hands of it won't help solve this problem.
But rolling up our sleeves will. III
The roster of participants at this Conference is an honor
roll. Allstate sponsored a landmark conference on HIV and work.
Fortune magazine launched a survey on C.E.O.'s response to HIV.
General Motors pledged to conduct an education program. Others
are fighting the spread of HIV by fighting to keep schools and
workplaces drug-free. This is America responding to a crisis.
This is America at its best. 111
This epidemic is having a major impact on our health care
system. It is altering spending patterns by our government. In
1982, we knew little about AIDS -- and spent only $8 million.
But this year I have asked Congress for almost $3.5 billion to
battle HIV. Money for basic research. For HIV treatment and
education. For protecting civil rights. III
America has the most sophisticated health care system in the
world. But it is not without its problems. We face many
challenges. Our system depends on private insurance and
individual payments, as well as government programs. AIDS
magnifies the challenges, including the challenge of expanding
access, bringing costs under control, and overcoming obstacles to
quality care. With these concerns in mind, I asked Dr. Louis
6
Sullivan to lead a Cabinet-level review of health care in the
1990's. And businesses like those you represent must play a
major role in helping improve our Nation's health care system.
The crisis is not over. We report tens of thousands of
new cases every year. And many predict we can expect to continue
to do so in this decade, and even into the next century.
And yet, as Barbara so often reminds me, "where there is
life there is hope." There are hopeful signs. To begin with, we
can be encouraged by the news that current projections of the
infection rate will not be as high as we thought just a year ago.
The use of new medicines such as A-Z-T means that more and
more people with HIV will be able to live and work because these
therapies offer the potential of making it a more manageable
disease. Keep them in your workforce -- as I know many of you
are already doing, as leaders in this effort. They can serve
many, many more productive years with no threat to you, your
other workers, or your companies. It will reduce costs for
everyone. And it's the right thing to do. III
The pace of progress is promising. The HIV virus has been
identified, isolated, and attacked with experimental treatments
in a span of less than 10 years. The normal, centuries-long
evolution of disease and treatment compressed into a decade.
And this race against time has produced an explosion in
knowledge and basic understanding about the nature of disease and
immunology. Like the unexpected technological boons from
Apollo's race to the moon, some physicians predict the race to
7
cure AIDS may even lead to a cure for cancer. III
We're going to continue to fight like hell. But we're also
going to fight for hope. America has a unique capacity for
beating the odds -- and astounding the world. III
During my own childhood, the silent, whispered terror was a
mysterious killer called polio. Like HIV, the virus ignored
class distinctions and geographic boundaries. Monday would come,
and kids who'd been in school on Friday were simply never seen
again. Theaters were closed, summer camps, swimming pools.
As with AIDS, there was a lot of ignorance. Thousands of
stray cats and dogs put to death. Kids sleeping with camphor
inhalers. At least one town was fumigated with D.D.T.
There were terrifying outbreaks in the teens, in the
thirties, in the fifties. A cure was so far distant the experts
refused to speculate. 1111 And then, suddenly, it was over.
The dreaded iron lung, unused, cluttering hospital hallways.
Children again growing up in a world without fear. III
Many comparisons have been made to epidemics past. Cholera.
Small pox. Yellow fever. None of them perfect. So let me boil
down the lessons of polio to two:
There was a lot of ignorance -- let's learn from that. And
in the darkest of hours -- hope came unexpectedly, powerfully and
with finality. Let's work hard to see that day come to pass. III
Together, we will make a difference, for those with HIV and
AIDS -- and for all Americans.
Thank you. And may God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
McNally/Simon
March 27, 1990
Draft Five (B:AIDS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
CRYSTAL GATEWAY MARRIOTT
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1990, 11:15 A.M.
Thank you. And I want to thank Louis Sullivan. Larry
Williford of Allstate and B.J. Stiles from the Coalition here.
Dr. David Rogers and Belinda Mason, my appointees to the AIDS
Commission. My friend and physician, Dr. Burton Lee.
There could scarcely be a more important gathering a more
important place for me to be than here with you -- the men and
women who guide American business as it helps those people
suffering with HIV and AIDS. There are many team players in this
struggle. Community service organizations. Religious leaders of
all persuasions. AIDS service organizations created by
volunteers, many of them also infected with HIV. Corporations
and private foundations that together have given over $100
million to support literally thousands of AIDS projects.
You make our hearts glad. And you make your country proud.
Other generations have faced life-threatening medical
crises, from polio to the plague. This virus is our challenge.
Not a challenge we sought. Not a challenge we chose. But today
our responsibility is clear: We must meet this challenge. We
must beat this virus. For whether talking about a nation or an
individual, character is measured not by our tragedies -- but by
our
how we 1 respondoto those tragedies. \\\
And for those who are living with HIV and AIDS, our response
is clear: They deserve our compassion. They deserve our care.
2
And they deserve more than a chance -- they deserve a cure.
America will accept nothing less. We are slashing red tape.
Accelerating schedules. Boosting research. And somewhere out
there, there's a Nobel prize -- and the gratitude of planet Earth
-- waiting for the man or woman who peers into a microscope and
sees the answer that's eluded everyone else.
We pray that day will come soon. But until that day --
until this virus can be defeated by science -- there's a battle
to be waged by society.
Because in 1990, the most effective weapon in our arsenal
against AIDS is not just medication, but also education.
We must increase our efforts to educate the public about
AIDS and how it is contracted. Our goal is to turn irrational
fear into rational facts.
Because this isn't just a fight against disease. It's also
a fight against ignorance. A fight against discrimination.
Today, HIV has joined cancer, heart disease, and accidents
as one of the deadly realities of our time.
Of these, HIV is one of the most lethal, one of the most
frightening. But HIV is also one of the most preventable.
Every American must learn what AIDS is -- and what AIDS is
not. And they must learn now. You in this room already know
what so many Americans don't So, together, let's shoot down
some myths. The HIV virus is not spread by handshakes or hugs.
You can't get it from food or drink. Coughing or sneezing. Or
by sharing bathrooms or towels or conversation.
3
The transmission of AIDS is as simple as it is deadly. In
most cases, it's determined not by what you are -- but by what
you do -- and by what you fail to do. \\\
Let me state it clearly: People are placed at risk not by
their demographics, but by their deeds. By their behavior. \\\
And so it is our duty to make certain that every American
has the essential information needed to prevent the spread of HIV
and AIDS. Because while the ignorant may discriminate against
AIDS -- AIDS won't discriminate among the ignorant. \\\
Like many of you, Barbara and I have had friends who have
died of AIDS. Our love for them when they were sick and when
they died was just as great and just as intense as for anyone we
have lost to heart disease or cancer or accidents.
Probably everyone here has read the heartbreaking stories
about AIDS babies and those infected by transfusions. When our
own daughter was dying of leukemia, Barbara asked the doctor the
same question every HIV family must ask -- why -- why this was
happening to our beautiful little girl. And the doctor said:
"You have to realize that every well person is a miracle. It
takes billions of cells to make a well person. And all it takes
is one cell to be bad to destroy a whole person."
We will always remember the love and compassion with which
our friends and family responded. In this nation, in this
decade, there is only one way to deal with an individual who is
sick. With dignity. Compassion. Care. Confidentiality. And
without discrimination. \\\
4
Once disease strikes -- we don't blame those who are
suffering. We don't spurn the accident victim who didn't wear a
seatbelt. We don't reject the cancer patient who didn't quit
smoking. We try to love them and care for them and comfort them.
We do not fire them, or evict them, or cancel their insurance.
People with AIDS are no different than people with other
disabling and life threatening diseases. They are our colleagues
and co-workers. Our friends. Our families. THEY. ARE US.
Today I call on the House of Representatives to get on with
as embodied m
the job of passing a law the Americans with Disabilities Act
-- that prohibits discrimination against those with HIV and AIDS.
We're in a fight against a disease -- not a fight against
people. \\\ And we won't tolerate discrimination.
The disease is attacking our most precious resource -- our
especially
people, our young. Unlike many of the diseases that cause
mayber whole cut what P? P?
disability in our elderly, AIDS affects many Americans, now in the
young during thevery
prime of life. The vast majority of Americans diagnosed with
AIDS since 1981 have been between the ages of 20 and 59. These
were the years they planned to work and create, and save for the
future. Now their struggle is to survive.
The statistics are numbing. You heard them this morning.
But just look at the amazing quilts which hang around us today.
They prove that no one is a statistic. Every life has its own
fabric. Its own colors. Its own purpose. Its own soul. And
like the quilts, no two are alike. III
These quilts commemorate the dead. But the most important
5
part of our learning is with the living. And I hope that you
will go out and visit the AIDS wards. Meet with the patients and
their families. See the face of humanity in the face of AIDS.
When Barbara and I left Washington for Christmas, our last
up NIH.
stop was a clinic at the National Institutes of Health. We were
impressed by the determination of the people there
the
stet
doctors, nurses, and health care workers -- and especially the
brave people who are living with HIV. We learned a lot about
caring. A lot about family. And a lot about hope. we saw the face
of human the
Recently, we received a letter from seven patients whom we
fore ands. of
visited. They wrote: "Each of us looks for hope in very
personal ways. We seek comfort and warmth from those we love.
We seek new answers through participation in experimental drug
studies. We seek to enjoy the simplest of pleasures in everyday
life. To make peace with ourselves and with those who don't
understand us. We seek a voice, a compassionate voice, that can
address the concerns of hundreds of thousands of people."
Ladies and gentlemen, the voice they seek must be your
voice. The voice of every American. III
Your employees will take their cues from you. You are in a
powerful, unique position to influence the response to HIV and
AIDS. When someone asks: "Who will volunteer to help care for
our CO workers with AIDS?" we should be the first to say, "We
will." Washing our hands of it won't help solve this problem.
But rolling up our sleeves will.
The roster of participants at this Conference is an honor
6
roll. Allstate sponsored a landmark conference. to help deal with
the impact of HIV at work. Fortune magazine launched a survey
that helped us understand the attitudes and actions of C.E.O.'s
in responding to HIV. General Motors asked an HIV expert to
brief its key officers -- and pledged to conduct an education
program, for employees Others are fighting the spread of HIV by
fighting to keep schools and workplaces drug-free. This is
America responding to a crisis. This is America at its best.
This epidemic is having a major impact on our health care
stet
system. It is altering spending patterns by our government. In
1982, we knew little about AIDS -- and spent only $8 million. By
1990 that has grown to almost $3 billion.
But this But this year
And I have asked Congress for still more money
I
almost
$3.5 billionin the next fiscal year. Money for basic research.
For HIV treatment and education. For protecting civil rights.
America has the most sophisticated health care system in the
world. But it is not without its problems. We face many
challenges. Our system depends on private insurance and
individual payments, as well as government programs. AIDS
magnifies the challenges, including the challenge of expanding
access, bringing costs under control, and overcoming obstacles to
quality care. With these concerns in mind, I asked Dr. Louis
Sullivan to lead a Cabinet-level review of health care in the
1990's. And businesses like those you represent must play a
major role in helping improve our Nation's health care system.
Crieis
The epidemic is not over. We report tens of thousands of
7
new cases every year. And many predict we can expect to continue
to do so in this decade, and even into the next century.
And yet, as Barbara so often reminds me, "where there is
life there is hope. " There are hopeful signs. To begin with, we
can be encouraged by the news that current projections of the
infection rate will not be as high as we thought just a year ago.
The use of new medicines such as A-Z-T means that more and
more people with HIV will be able to live and work because these
therapies offer the potential of making it a more manageable
disease. Keep them in your workforce -- as I know many of you
are already doing, as leaders in this effort. They can serve
many, many more productive years with no threat to you, your
other workers, or your companies. It will reduce costs for
everyone. And it's the right thing to do.
The pace of progress is promising. The HIV virus has been
identified, isolated, and attacked with experimental treatments
in a span of less than 10 years. The normal, centuries-long
evolution of disease and treatment compressed into a decade.
And this race against time has produced an explosion in
knowledge and basic understanding about the nature of disease and
the immune system.
immunology
^ Like the unexpected technological boons from
Apollo's race to the moon, some physicians predict the race to
cure AIDS may even lead to a cure for cancer.
We're going to continue to fight like hell. But we're also
going to fight for hope. America has a unique capacity for
beating the odds -- and astounding the world.
8
During my own childhood, the silent, whispered terror was a
mysterious killer called polio. Like HIV, the virus ignored
class distinctions and geographic boundaries. Monday would come,
and kids who'd been in school on Friday were simply never seen
again. Theaters were closed, summer camps, swimming pools.
As with AIDS, there was a lot of ignorance. Thousands of
stray cats and dogs put to death. Kids sleeping with camphor
inhalers. At least one town was fumigated with D.D.T.
There were terrifying outbreaks in the teens, in the
thirties, in the fifties. A cure was so far distant the experts
refused to speculate. One doctor observed: "We have learned
very little that is new about the disease, but much that is old
about ourselves."
And then, suddenly, it was over. It happened so fast. The
dreaded iron lung, unused, cluttering hospital hallways.
Children again growing up in a world without fear.
Many comparisons have been made to epidemics past. Cholera.
Small pox. Yellow fever. None of them perfect. So let me boil
down the lessons of polio to two:
There was a lot of ignorance -- let's learn from that. And
in the darkest of hours -- hope came unexpectedly, powerfully and
with finality. Let's work hard to see that day come to pass.
Together, we will make a difference, for those with HIV and
AIDS -- and for all Americans.
Thank you. And may God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
McNALLY CO MMENTS
McNally/Simon
March 23, 1990
Draft Three (B:AIDS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
CRYSTAL GATEWAY MARRIOTT
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1990, 11:15 A.M.
Thank you,
. [ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS]
There could scarcely be a more important gathering, a more
important place for me to be than here with you -- the men and
women who guide business and industry as they focus on the best
way to help our people suffering with HIV and AIDS.
There are many team players in this struggle. Community
service organizations. Religious leaders of all persuasions.
AIDS service organizations created by volunteers, many of them
also infected with HIV. And corporations and private foundations
that together have given over $100 million to support literally
thousands of AIDS projects.
You make our hearts glad. And you make your country proud.
Other generations have faced life-threatening medical
crises, from polio to the plague. This virus is our challenge.
Not a challenge we sought. Not a challenge we chose. But today
our choice is simple:
must
must
We A will meet this challenge. We will beat this virus. For
whether talking about a nation or an individual, character is
measured not by our tragedies -- but by how we respond to those
tragedies. III
And for those who are living with HIV and AIDS, our response
is simple: They deserve our compassion. They deserve our care.
clear 19
And they deserve more than a chance -- they deserve a cure. III
2
America will accept nothing less. We are slashing red tape.
Accelerating schedules. Boosting research. And somewhere out
there, there's a Nobel prize -- and the gratitude of the I planet
Earth -- waiting for the man or woman who peers into a microscope
and sees the answer that's eluded everyone else.
Porter's like is idea. it.
We pray that day will come soon. But until that day --
this
by suence
until this virus can be defeated ^ in our hospitals -- there's a
by society.
battle to be waged in our homes. III
I
Because in 1990, the single most effective weapon in our
arsenal against AIDS is not medication, 11 but education. III
We must increase our efforts to educate the public about
AIDS and how it is contracted. Our goal is to turn irrational
fear into rational facts.
Because this isn't just a fight against disease. It's also
a fight against ignorance. A fight against discrimination. III
Almost three years ago, I described our struggle against the
HIV virus as a battle against a "new and mysterious disease."
Today, HIV is not so new and not so mysterious. Today, HIV
has joined cancer, heart disease, and accidents as one of the
deadly realities of our time.
Of these, HIV is one of the most lethal, one of the most
frightening. But HIV is also one of the most preventable.
Every American must learn what AIDS is -- and what AIDS is
not. And they must learn now. So let's shoot down some myths.
The HIV virus is not spread by handshakes or hugs. You can't get
3
it from food or drink. Coughing or sneezing. Or by sharing
bathrooms or towels or conversation.
It's not like heart disease, where there's confusion over
ever-changing bits of advice on oat bran and olive oil, exercise
and eggs. The transmission of AIDS is as simple as it is deadly.
It's determined not by what you are -- but by what you do -- and
by what you fail to do. III
Let me state it clearly: People are placed at risk not by
their demographics, but by their deeds. By their behavior. III
And so it is our duty to make certain that every American
has the essential information needed to prevent the spread of HIV
and AIDS. Because while the ignorant may discriminate against
AIDS -- AIDS won't discriminate among the ignorant. III
Like many of you, Barbara and I have had friends who have
died of AIDS. Our love for them when they were sick and when
they died was just as great and just as intense as for anyone we
have lost to heart disease or cancer or accidents.
A
In this nation, in this decade, there is only one way to
sensert,
deal with an individual who is sick. with dignity. Compassion.
attid)
Care. Confidentiality. And without discrimination. III
Once disease strikes -- we don't blame those who are
suffering. We don't spurn the accident victim who didn't wear a
seatbelt. We don't reject the cancer patient who didn't quit
smoking. We try to love them and care for them and comfort them.
We do not fire them, or evict them, or cancel their insurance.
4
People with AIDS are no different than people with other
disabling and life-threatening diseases. They are our colleagues
and co-workers. Our friends. Our families. THEY. ARE
US.
And today I call on the House of Representatives to get on
as asiembockedm
with the job of passing a law -- the Americans with Disabilities
Act -- that prohibits discrimination against those with HIV and
AIDS.
This is a fight against a disease -- not a fight against
people. III And we won't tolerate discrimination.
The disease is attacking our most precious resource -- our
people, our young. Unlike many of the diseases that cause
disability in our elderly, AIDS affects many Americans now in the
The vast majority of
prime of life. Ninety five percent of the 115,000 ^ Americans with
AIDS are between the ages of 20 and 59. These were the years
they planned to work and create, and save for the future. Now
their struggle is to survive.
The statistics are numbing. You heard them this morning.
But just look at the amazing quilts which hang around us today.
They prove that no man is a statistic. Every life has its own
fabric. Its own colors. Its own purpose. Its own soul. And
like the quilts, no two are alike. III
These quilts commemorate the dead. But the most important
part of our learning is with the living. And I hope that you
will go out and visit the AIDS wards. Meet with the patients and
their families. See the face of humanity in the face of AIDS.
5
When Barbara and I left Washington for the Christmas
holidays, our last stop was a clinic at the National Institutes
aring
of Health. We were impressed by the mettle and determination of
the word meeting) used
the people there -- the doctors, nurses, and health care workers
and especially the brave people who are living with HIV. We
learned a lot about caring 1 courage A lot about family. And a lot
about hope.
courage
Recently, we received a letter from seven who we visited.
They wrote: "Each of us looks for hope in very personal ways.
We seek comfort and warmth from those we love. We seek new
answers through participation in experimental drug studies. We
seek to enjoy the simplest of pleasures in everyday life. We
seek to make peace with ourselves and with those who don't
understand us. We seek a voice, a compassionate voice, that can
address the concerns of hundreds of thousands of people."
Ladies and gentlemen, the voice they seek must be your
voice. The voice of every American. III
Your employees will take their cues from you. You are in a
powerful, unique position to influence the response to HIV and
AIDS. When someone asks: "Who will volunteer to help care for
our co-workers with AIDS?" you should be the first to say, "I
will." Washing your hands of it won't help solve this problem.
But rolling up your sleeves will. III
The roster of participants at this Conference is an honor
roll. Allstate sponsored a landmark conference to help deal with
the impact of HIV at work. The magazine, Fortune, launched a
6
survey that helped us understand the attitudes and actions of
General Motors
C.E.O.'s in responding to HIV. [An industrial giant asked an
HIV expert to brief its key officers -- and pledged to conduct an
education program for employees. Others are fighting the spread
of HIV by fighting to keep schools and workplaces drug-free.
This is America responding to a crisis. This is America at its
best.
This epidemic is having a major impact on our health care
system. It is altering spending patterns by our government. In
1982, we knew little about AIDS -- and spent only $8 million. By
This condonsed
1990, that has grown to almost $3 billion -- more, even, than the
budget of the entire FBI -- and almost double what's spent for
the National Cancer Institute.
And I have asked Congress for still more money -- almost
burgh, life.
$3.5 billion in the next fiscal year. Money for basic research.
For HIV treatment and education. For protecting civil rights.
America has the most sophisticated health care system in the
world. But it's not enough. Our system depends on private
insurance and individual payments, as well as government
programs. AIDS magnifies the challenges, including the challenge
of providing fair access to care to all Americans, rich and poor.
d
In my State of the Union Address, I asked Dr. Louis Sullivan
to lead a Cabinet-level review of health care in the 1990's.
We don't know yet where this review will lead us. But we do
know that helping businesses like those you represent will be play a big Curse part
of the answer to improving health care and increasing access.
7
The epidemic is not over. We report tens of thousands of
new cases every year. And many predict we can expect to continue
to do so in this decade, and even into the next century.
as Barbara often reminds me, "Where there is life, there is hope." and there are some
And yet, as in every generation, no crisis is without
hopeful signs. To begin with, we can be encouraged by the news
that current projections of the infection rate will not be as
high as we thought just a year ago.
The use of new medicines such as A-Z-T means that more and
more people with HIV will be able to live and work because these
therapies offer the potential of making it a more manageable
disease. Keep them in your workforce. They can serve many, many
more productive years with no threat to you, your other workers,
or your companies. It will reduce costs for everyone. And it's
the right thing to do. III
The pace of progress is promising. The HIV virus has been
identified, isolated, and attacked with experimental treatments
in a span of less than 10 years. The normal, centuries-long
evolution of disease and treatment compressed into a decade.
And this race against time has produced an explosion in
knowledge and basic understanding about the nature of disease and
immunology. Like the unexpected technological boons from
Apollo's race to the moon, some physicians predict the race to
lead to
cure AIDS may even A produce 2 a cure for cancer.
suggested by
Dr. Fauci, the AIDS
We're going to continue to fight like hell.
expert at N/H.
going to fight for hope. America has a unique c
(He's addressing
this audience
beating the odds -- and astounding the world.
earlier in the day)
8
During my own childhood, the silent, whispered terror was a
mysterious killer called polio. Like HIV, the virus ignored
class distinctions and geographic boundaries. Monday would come,
and kids who'd been in school on Friday were simply never seen
again. Theaters were closed, summer camps, swimming pools.
As with AIDS, there was a lot of ignorance. Thousands of
stray cats and dogs put to death. Kids sleeping with camphor
inhalers. At least one town was fumigated with D.D.T. +- doing
nothing to stop polio -- and unknowingly helping endanger the
American eagle.
There were terrifying outbreaks in the teens, in the
thirties, in the fifties. A cure was so far distant the experts
refused to speculate. One doctor observed: "We have learned
very little that is new about the disease, but much that is old
about ourselves."
And then, suddenly, it was over. It happened so fast. The
dreaded iron lung, unused, cluttering hospital hallways.
Children again growing up in a world without fear.
Many comparisons have been made to epidemics past. Cholera.
The Plague. Yellow fever. None of them perfect. So let me boil
down the lessons of polio to two:
There was a lot of ignorance -- let's learn from that. And
in the darkest of hours -- hope came unexpectedly, powerfully and
with finality. Let's work hard to see that day come to pass. III
Together, we will make a difference, for those with HIV and
AIDS -- and for all Americans.
Thank you. And may God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
WINSTON EDITS
Document No. 125786SS
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
3/23/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 3/26/90 2:00 PM
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
stillned HHS
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
LEE
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Rm. 122,
x2930, no later than 2:00 PM, Monday, March 26, with a copy to
my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
McNally/Simon
March 23, 1990
1990 MAR 23 AM ID: 59
Draft Three (B:AIDS)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COALITION ON AIDS
CRYSTAL GATEWAY MARRIOTT
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1990, 11:15 A.M.
Thank you,
. [ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS]
There could scarcely be a more important gathering, a more
important place for me to be than here with you -- the men and
American
women who guide these business and industry as they focus on the best
as it
way to helps our people suffering with HIV and AIDS.
There are many team players in this struggle. Community
service organizations. Religious leaders of all persuasions.
AIDS service organizations created by volunteers, many of them
also infected with HIV. And corporations and private foundations
that together have given over $100 million to support literally
thousands of AIDS projects.
You make our hearts glad. And you make your country proud.
Other generations have faced life-threatening medical
crises, from polio to the plague. This virus is our challenge.
Not a challenge we sought. Not a challenge we chose. But today
responsibility clear
our choice is simple:
must
must
We will meet this challenge. We will beat this virus. For
whether talking about a nation or an individual, character is
measured not by our tragedies -- but by how we respond to those
tragedies. III
And for those who are living with HIV and AIDS, our response
clear
is simple: They deserve our compassion. They deserve our care.
And they deserve more than a chance -- they deserve a cure. III
2
America will accept nothing less. We are slashing red tape.
Accelerating 'schedules. Boosting research. And somewhere out
there, there's a Nobel prize -- and the gratitude of the planet
Earth -- waiting for the man or woman who peers into a microscope
and sees the answer that's eluded everyone else.
We pray that day will come soon. But until that day --
by science
until this virus can be defeated in our hospitals -- there's a
by society.
battle to be waged in our homes. III
Because in 1990, the single most effective weapon): in our
just
also
arsenal against AIDS is not medication, 11 but education. III
We must increase our efforts to educate the public about
AIDS and how it is contracted. Our goal is to turn irrational
fear into rational facts.
Because this isn't just a fight against disease. It's also
a fight against ignorance. A fight against discrimination. III
some
Almost three years ago, I described our struggle against the
HIV virus as a battle against a "new and mysterious disease.
Today, HIV is not so new and not so mysterious. Today, HIV
has joined cancer, heart disease, and accidents as one of the
deadly realities of our time.
Of these, HIV is one of the most lethal, one of the most
frightening. But HIV is also one of the most preventable.
Every American must learn what AIDS is -- and what AIDS is
together,
not. And they must learn now. So let's shoot down some myths.
The HIV virus is not spread by handshakes or hugs. You can't get
-
you in this room already know what so
many Americans don't
3
it from food or drink. Coughing or sneezing. Or by sharing
bathrooms or towels or conversation.
It's not like heart disease, where there's confusion over
ever changing bits of advice on oat bran and olive oil, exercise
and eggs The transmission of AIDS is as simple as it is deadly.
In most cases,
It's determined not by what you are -- but by what you do -- and
by what you fail to do.
Let me state it clearly: People are placed at risk not by
their demographics, but by their deeds. By their behavior.
And so it is our
A
(Note: Throbbm solves on ideneral during need the AIDS other - tabies and theres both Portera
INSERT AT BOTTOM OF PAGE 3
Probably everyone here has read the heartbreaking stories
debting senera
about daughter was dying of leukemia, Barbara asked the doctor this was the
AIDS babies and those infected by transfusions. When our
own question every HIV family must ask -- why -- why said:
(9 due burog
happening same to our beautiful little girl. And the doctor It
have to realize that every well person is a miracle. it
takes "You billions of cells to make up a well person. And all
takes is one cell to be bad to destroy a whole person."
will always remember the love and compassion with which
our friends We and family responded. [In this nation, in this
decade
]
don't blame
WIT
g. We don't spurn the accident victim who didn't
seatbelt. We don't reject the cancer patient who didn't quit
smoking. We try to love them and care for them and comfort them.
We do not fire them, or evict them, or cancel their insurance.
?
4
People with AIDS are no different than people with other
disabling and life-threatening diseases. They are our colleagues
and co-workers. Our friends. Our families. THEY ARE US.
And today I call on the House of Representatives to get on
with the job of passing a law -- the Americans with Disabilities
?
Act -- that prohibits discrimination against those with HIV and
AIDS.
we're rn
This is a fight against a disease -- not a fight against
people. III And we won't tolerate discrimination. \\\\
The disease is attacking our most precious resource -- our
people, our young. Unlike many of the diseases that cause
stet chageosed
disability in our elderly, AIDS affects many Americans now in the
The VAST majority OF
diagnosed
prime of life. Ninety-five percent of the 115,000 Americans with
since 1981 havebeen)
AIDS are between the ages of 20 and 59. These were the years
they planned to work and create, and save for the future. Now
their struggle is to survive.
The statistics are numbing. You heard them this morning.
But just look at the amazing quilts which hang around us today.
They prove that no man one is a statistic. Every life has its own
fabric. Its own colors. Its own purpose. Its own soul. And
like the quilts, no two are alike. III
These quilts commemorate the dead. But the most important
part of our learning is with the living. And I hope that you
will go out and visit the AIDS wards. Meet with the patients and
their families. See the face of humanity in the face of AIDS.
5
When Barbara and I left Washington for the Christmas
holidays, our last stop was a clinic at the National Institutes
of Health. We were impressed by the mettle and determination of
the people there -- the doctors, nurses, and health care workers
-- and especially the brave people who are living with HIV. We
learned a lot about courage. caring A lot about family. And a lot
about hope.
patients
Recently, we received a letter from seven who we visited.
They wrote: "Each of us looks for hope in very personal ways.
We seek comfort and warmth from those we love. We seek new
answers through participation in experimental drug studies. We
seek to enjoy the simplest of pleasures in everyday life. We
seek to make peace with ourselves and with those who don't
understand us. We seek a voice, a compassionate voice, that can
address the concerns of hundreds of thousands of people."
Ladies and gentlemen, the voice they seek must be your
voice. The voice of every American. III
Your employees will take their cues from you. You are in a
powerful, unique position to influence the response to HIV and
AIDS. When someone asks: "Who will volunteer to help care for
our co-workers with AIDS?" you we should be the first to say, "X
we
will." Washing your hands of it won't help solve this problem.
But rolling up your sleeves will. III
The roster of participants at this Conference is an honor
roll. Allstate sponsored a landmark conference to help deal with
the impact of HIV at work. The magazine, Fortune, launched a
6
survey that helped us understand the attitudes and actions of
General motors
C.E.O.'s in responding to HIV. [An industrial giant] asked an
HIV expert to brief its key officers -- and pledged to conduct an
education program for employees. Others are fighting the spread
of HIV by fighting to keep schools and workplaces drug-free.
This is America responding to a crisis. This is America at its
best.
This epidemic is having a major impact on our health care
system. It is altering spending patterns by our government. In
1982, we knew little about AIDS -- and spent only $8 million. By
1990, that has grown to almost $3 billion more, even, than the
budget of the entire FBI -- and almost double what's spent for
the National Cancer Institute.
And I have asked Congress for still more money -- almost
$3.5 billion in the next fiscal year. Money for basic research.
For HIV treatment and education. For protecting civil rights.
America has the most sophisticated health care system in the
world. But it's not enough. Our system depends on private
insurance and individual payments, as well as government
programs. AIDS magnifies the challenges, including the challenge
of providing fair access to care to all Americans, rich and poor.
In my State of the Union Address, I asked Dr. Louis Sullivan
to lead a Cabinet-level review of health care in the 1990's.
We don't know yet where this review will lead us. But we do
know that businesses like those you represent will be a big part
of the answer to improving health care and increasing access.
7
The epidemic is not over. We report tens of thousands of
new cases every year. And many predict we can expect to continue
to do so in this decade, and even into the next century.
as Bar una so often reminds me, "where there is life there is hope. "and there
And yet, as in every generation, no crisis is without are some
hopeful signs. To begin with, we can be encouraged by the news
that current projections of the infection rate will not be as
high as we thought just a year ago.
The use of new medicines such as A-Z-T means that more and
more people with HIV will be able to live and work because these
therapies offer the potential of making it a more manageable
as I know many of you are already doing as leaders in this effa
?
disease. Keep them in your workforce They can serve many, many
more productive years with no threat to you, stet your other workers,
or your companies. It will reduce costs for everyone. And it's
the right thing to do. III
The pace of progress is promising. The HIV virus has been
identified, isolated, and attacked with experimental treatments
in a span of less than 10 years. The normal, centuries-long
evolution of disease and treatment compressed into a decade.
And this race against time has produced an explosion in
knowledge and basic understanding about the nature of disease and
immunology. Like the unexpected technological boons from
Apollo's race to the moon, some physicians predict the race to
lead to
cure AIDS may even produce a cure the for destruction, cancer. the death, the opportunt lost
We're going to continue to fight like hell. But we're also
going to fight for hope. America has a unique capacity for
beating the odds -- and astounding the world.
8
During my own childhood, the silent, whispered terror was a
mysterious killer called polio. Like HIV, the virus ignored
class distinctions and geographic boundaries. Monday would come,
and kids who'd been in school on Friday were simply never seen
again. Theaters were closed, summer camps, swimming pools.
As with AIDS, there was a lot of ignorance. Thousands of
stray cats and dogs put to death. Kids sleeping with camphor
inhalers. At least one town was fumigated with D.D.T.
doing
nothing to stop polio -- and unknowingly helping endanger the
American eagle
There were terrifying outbreaks in the teens, in the
thirties, in the fifties. A cure was so far distant the experts
refused to speculate. One doctor observed: "We have learned
very little that is new about the disease, but much that is old
about ourselves."
And then, suddenly, it was over. It happened so fast. The
dreaded iron lung, unused, cluttering hospital hallways.
Children again growing up in a world without fear.
Many comparisons have been made to epidemics past. Cholera.
Small pox
The Plague. Yellow fever. None of them perfect. So let me boil
down the lessons of polio to two:
There was a lot of ignorance -- let's learn from that. And
in the darkest of hours -- hope came unexpectedly, powerfully and
with finality. Let's work hard to see that day come to pass.
?
Together, we will make a difference, for those with HIV and
AIDS -- and for all Americans. 1111
Thank you. And may God bless the United States of America.
#
#
#