November 2003

General Convention Stance on AIDS Mixed

Bruce Garner, NEAC Co-Chair

Contrary to popular belief and press reports, General Convention 2003 dealt with issues other than human sexuality. Among the over 300 resolutions presented at General Convention were four that addressed HIV/AIDS; the texts as they were passed by General Convention are shown below.

  • In three cases, the General Convention strengthened the original resolutions. For the two, A018 and A020, that concerned medications, the Convention directed the Executive Council and Church Pension Fund to act in a socially responsibly manner in making church investments. Resolution A019 continuing the Episcopal Church’s Committee on HIV/AIDS of Executive Council called upon the committee to focus on the “quiet voices of AIDS” in the world as well as in our church and nation.
  • On the other hand, the General Convention passed a somewhat watered down version of Resolution A021 by removing all references to African-Americans, failing to recognize the reality that HIV/AIDS is a growing problem in that population in large extent due to the avoidance of honest discussions about the subject. References to “men who have sex with men” were also removed, again ignoring recent rises in HIV infection rates among that population.
  • These four resolutions will help to define the work of NEAC over the next triennium, continuing to highlight areas of great concern in a pandemic for which we can see no real hope that it will soon end. AIDS shows no signs of releasing its deadly grip on our world, our nation, or our church. Its devastating impact will continue to take lives, reduce the productivity of nations and rob us all of countless more sisters and brothers throughout the world. May we continue to pray for those who are ill, those who will die, and those who will become infected.

Resolution A018: HIV/AIDS: HIV/AIDS Drugs Full Inclusion

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the Episcopal Church, through the General Convention, urge American pharmaceutical companies and the United States Food and Drug Administration to increase their inclusion of women, African-Americans, and members of other communities of color in both clinical drug trials for new HIV medications and studies of the efficacy of new HIV medications to help insure that the medications including antiretroviral drugs perform effectively in all populations.; and be it further

Resolved, That the General Convention direct the Social Responsibilities in Investments Committee of the Executive Council and urge the Church Pension Fund to implement this resolution, especially through the influence of shareholder resolutions.

Resolution A019 : CCAB: Continue Standing Committee on HIV/AIDS

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 74th General Convention authorize the continuation of the Executive Council Standing Committee on HIV/AIDS for the 2004-2006 Triennium; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Committee on HIV/AIDS for the next triennium focus on the “quiet voices of AIDS” in our church and in our nation and in the world, those whom we are called to serve but may overlook; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Committee undertake a survey of HIV/AIDS ministries at all levels of the church; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Committee on HIV/AIDS report at least annually to the Executive Council of the General Convention on the state of the church’s response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, with particular attention to the implementation of pertinent resolutions of General Convention.

Resolution A020 : HIV/AIDS: HIV Medications Availability

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the Episcopal Church, through its General Convention, urge American pharmaceutical companies, the United States Food and Drug Administration, and the United States Patent Office to relinquish patent rights to pharmaceutical companies in developing countries to allow for the development of HIV medications including antiretroviral drugs and the creation of generic versions of those medications with the purpose of making those medications available to those who need them in those developing countries. and be it further

Resolved, That the General Convention direct the Social Responsibilities in Investments Committee of the Executive Council and urge the Church Pension Fund to implement this resolution, especially through the influence of shareholder resolutions.

Resolution A021 : HIV/AIDS: Broadening HIV Prevention Methods

[Words in brackets are those that were deleted from the original text before the resolution passed.]

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That The Episcopal Church, through its General Convention, call upon its [African-American] members and its congregations [with larger populations of African-Americans] to take the lead in insuring that all methods used to prevent the spread of HIV are taught in school curricula, Church School curricula and in other educational settings. [Educational efforts shall be intentionally directed toward the prevention of HIV among men who have sex with other men.]

Explanation attached to the original resolution:

HIV infection continues to rise at alarming rates in the African-American community. The most prevalent route of transmission of HIV in women is from men who have sex with men to their female sexual partners. There is great reluctance in the African-American community to discuss this phenomenon. It is referred to by such code names as “on the down low” or “on the DL,” reflecting the unwillingness to discuss the subject openly and honestly. The stigma associated with AIDS and the reluctance to discuss matters of human sexuality greatly hinder prevention education efforts.