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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 4, 1995)
8 ▼ a u g u s t 4 , 1 9 8 9 ▼ ju st ou t PDX Automotive G&M Automotive 5934 NE Halsey, Portland 282-3315 6006 E Burnside, Portland 231-8486 national news Not w ithout sca rs Senate passage of the Ryan White CARE Act is seen by AIDS activists as a hard-won victory over Jesse Helms ▼ by Bob Roehr “Mechanics with a Conscience’ Free ride to MAX CERTIFIED MECHANICS Complete automotive service of foreign and domestic cars and light trucks Gerard Lillie Todd Connelly REPORT H0M0PH0RIC VIOLENCE M ake som e n ew frien d s th is su m m er. G et involved. Speak To Your Brothers MenTalks • Volunteering • Outreach HIV Testing • Speaking of Sex... 503 * 223*5907 ffp i * - 9s . i+ - *4 ** r I * * 9 4 ***»,. * ¡r* <33 ili ^ * *** 4 8 * S'« * ■ * f * <* * N *■ ( M JM . cover,” said Greer. Some senators, however, know he Senate passed reauthorization of ing of the planned gutting amendment, might have the Ryan White CARE Act on July 27 viewed this vote as a throwaway and voted to by an overwhelming margin of 97-3. improve their rating on future right-wing rating Crippling amendments proposed by scorecards. Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) were often “Voting with Helms showed a level of insensi defeated, and the one that did pass was subse tivity and bigotry,” charged Alexander Robinson, quently watered down. National Organizations Responding to AIDS co AIDS lobbyists greeted the final vote with chair, who also works on AIDS issues for the jubilation. “The clear message is that this is a American Civil Liberties Union. He was espe victory,” said Winnie Stachelberg, senior policy cially “distressed” to see Republican Majority analyst with the Human Rights Campaign Fund and co-chair of National Or ganizations Responding to AIDS. “This is the Congress recognizing and understand ing the needs of people living with HIV and AIDS.” “The Senate proved again that AIDS is a national emer gency deserving of extraordi nary atten tio n ,” added Cornelius Baker, public policy director of the National Asso ciation of People With AIDS. David Greer, spokesman for Log Cabin Republicans noted that the vote “was even greater than that for the origi nal authorization, when it was 96-4, five years ago under a Democratic-controlled Con gress.” But the victory did not come without its scars. Vitri olic anti-gay statements from Helms dominated the floor debate, which began July 21. Helms lambasted “the power ful homosexual lobby” that had “Congress falling all over itself’ to do what they were demanding. He offered a number of potentially crippling amend ments. His efforts to freeze funding at current levels for five years went down 32-67. Leader Robert Dole (Kan.) and 16 Democrats such His amendment pitting people with AIDS against as Jay Rockefeller (W. V.) among those who voted cancer patients failed 15-84. Baker called those with Helms on this measure. He has “no idea why votes “a testament to what we were able to do.” they abandoned us.” The infamous “no-promo-homo” amendment “We are going to have to go to members, one- to deny federal funds to any organization portray on-one, and educate them as to why this under ing homosexuality positively did pass, with a vote mines the CARE Act,” said Stachelberg. of 54-45. But a subsequent amendment which One perennial issue is the call for mandatory gutted the intent of the Helms measure passed 74- HIV testing of pregnant women. The medical 23. It was offered by Sens. Nancy Kassebaum (R- theory is that early intervention may reduce the Kan.) and Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), the principle likelihood of transmission to the baby, but the sponsors of the bill. The same strategy had been social dynamics are more complex than the medi used successfully last year. cal ones. Kassebaum had indicated her support for “Helms always poses these amendments in such a measure at a July 24 meeting with a half such a way that senators find it very difficult to vote dozen senior AIDS lobbyists. Both the lobbyists against them,” said Baker. Stachelberg recalled a and Kassebaum’s staff were stunned. similar amendment a year ago which passed with Kassebaum ended up taking a different ap a dozen more votes. “We have never beaten a proach—a carrot instead of a stick. She proposed Helms amendment like this head on,” she said, “Clearly we are doing better.” a $10 million pot of money that the 11 most highly impacted jurisdictions can tap to fund HIV testing “At least three people who said they were and counseling of pregnant women. It passed by voting against [the no-homo-promo amendment], unanimous consent. including at least one who was scheduled to speak against it, voted for it,” said Gary Rose, with the Ryan White still faces a floor vote in the House, where it was unanimously reported out of commit AIDS Action Council. He attributes the switched votes to last-minute changes in scheduling that tee. That will probably occur some time in Septem ber. It seems likely there will be more attempts to pushed the vote up earlier than expected and led to attach negative amendments, but their scope and confusion. character remains uncertain. “Some people were obviously looking for T