december 17 2004 - Ju st O U t 17
rmriTim
R eligious I nvestors E xpand F ight
to G et A ids D rugs to P oor
In light of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1,
faith-based institutional investors are expand­
ing their campaign for access to essential medi­
cines. After a string of solid votes at drug com­
panies last year, shareholder HIV/AIDS
activists connected to the Interfaith Center on
Corporate Responsibility have grown in num­
ber and ambition as they approach the 2005
shareholder season.
0 *
TVC director Andrea Lafferty
Court to rule the election results void.
The Kentucky Fairness Alliance, in support­
ing this legal challenge to the amendment,
objects to the language used by the Legislature
in presenting this proposal to the voters. “The
Legislature did sloppy work,” said John Davis,
interim executive director. “The first part of the
amendment talks about marriage. However, the
second part of the amendment confused people
on what exactly was being proposed.”
Davis also noted: “It appears to ban domestic
partnerships, prenuptial agreements and many
other contractual arrangements among both gay
and straight adults. Many Kentuckians support
allowing adults to enter into contractual
arrangements as to their property, whether they
are gay or straight. This amendment did not
allow voters to vote on the two proposals sepa­
rately. That violates the constitutional provi­
sions about how amendments are to be put on
the ballot. That’s why this lawsuit is important.”
Charlotte Wtxxl of Lexington, one of the
plaintiffs and a hoard member of the Kentucky
Fairness Alliance, met many people during the
campaign who had mixed feelings about the
amendment. “In going door to door, it was clear
that a sizable number of Kentuckians would
have voted for the first part of the amendment
but not the other, if given a chance,” she said.
“People should have had the right to vote on
the two proposals separately.”
Sister Vicki Bergkamp, chairwoman of the A ttorneys W in T ax D eduction
centers HIV/AIDS Caucus, said: “ICCR mem­ for S ex R eassignment S urgery
bers see the ravages of HIV and AIDS in their
The Internal Revenue Service has conclud­
daily work in Africa, India and China. Our ed that a transsexual woman represented by Gay
experience on the ground in these regions has «Si Lesbian Advocates & Defenders may deduct
convinced us that leading
expenses for sex reassignment surgery as a
pharmaceutical compa­
necessary medical expense. The deci­
nies can—and must—
sion overturned a tax examiners
do more to make
refusal to allow Rhiannon
their
lifesaving
O ’Donnahhain’s
claimed
products accessi­
deduction because he viewed
ble to the people
her sex reassignment surgery
It ,
who desperately
as “cosmetic
need them.”
As the appeals officer deter­
James Gun-
mined, however, O ’Donnah-
ning, the primary
hain’s surgery was medically
filer of an HIV reso­
necessary and an integral part
CD
lution at Merck, said:
of a professionally prescribed
CD
“Too often, it is women
course of treatment for her diagnosed
and children w'ho bear the
condition. The decision has important
burden of HIV and AIDS. Half of all
implications for other government programs as
children horn with HIV die before they are 2 well as for private contracts of insurance.
years old. One big reason is the high cost of
“This important decision recognizes that
pediatric AIDS medicines, which top
$1,500 per child per year. Compare
that to generic adult first-line treat­
ment, which is about $200 per patient
per year. How can we treat parents and
not their children?”
More than 2.5 million children
worldwide are living with HIV. In
addition to the high cost of medicines,
pediatric AIDS also suffers from a lack
of research, inadequate diagnostics
and other barriers to treatment,
according to information released at a
pediatric AIDS summit held by
UNICEF and UNAIDS earlier this
month in Geneva.
sex reassignment can be as medically necessary
for some people as an appendectomy or heart
K entuckians C hallenge G ay
bypass surgery,” said attorney Karen Loewy,
who represented O ’Donnahhain in her appeal.
M arriage B an
Three Kentuckians filed an election
“Any notion that medical treat­
challenge Nov. 16 to the constitutional
ment for a transgender person
r v
amendment approved Nov. 2. Citing
,
is purely cosmetic is based on
the requirement that a constitu-
V
misunderstanding and prej-
tional amendment proposal
udice, not medica! i sci-
r\y
must both he clear and
enee.’ j n
deal with only one
subject, the pen-
(
Compiled by News Editor
tion asks the
S arah D xioher , u -/ u j can be
Franklin Circuit
reached at sarah@ju.sHna.com.
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