Every four years for more than two centuries, we in America have engaged in an exercise unique in all of human history: the open and free election of a president and two houses of Congress. Then follows that period when “the new Administration” embarks on a course of action. And, every four years lawyers in various forums offer their views on what that course should be. Neither this year nor this AIDS Coordinating Committee is an exception; here we shine a spotlight on some of the legal issues - and the laws to address them - that remain unsettled as we approach the end of the third decade of HIV/AIDS in America. I am pleased to share with you the fruit of our labors, A National AIDS Strategy: A Legal Perspective.

My thanks to Joshua Bachrach and Karen Freeman-Wilson, who served as co-chairs of our drafting committee, and to the members of the Committee and the Healthcare Advisory Committee who gave of their time and expertise in preparing the paper. Thanks also to our national partners at the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, the Center for HIV Law and Policy, Get Screened Oakland and Albert Einstein College of Medicine who so willingly shared their expertise, gently offered their concerns and generously continue to work with us. I offer special thanks to the ABA staff who did the ground work, Michael Pates and Luke Polcyn, to those who reviewed the various drafts and prepared for its release, Denise Cardman, Christine Lanier and Kristin Loiacono and to our production manager, Samuel Feinson.

Shelley Hayes
Chair

The Committee will submit program proposals to the International AIDS Society for presentation at the 18th International AIDS Conference as part of the track entitled "Policy, Law, Human Rights and Political Science." The conference will be held in July 2010 in Vienna, Austria, where more than 25,000 stakeholders are expected to converge for ten days of programs and meetings exploring cutting-edge issues in HIV-related science, policy and law. Leading up to AIDS 2010, the Committee will present several programs on HIV and the Rule of Law:

Past Programs