EU pressure on US to abolish HIV discrimination intensifies
Since 1993 the US government has denied Visa Waiver to individuals suffering HIV or Aids and has made acquiring a visa very difficult. This arrangement amounts to a near ban on travel to the US for sufferers of HIV and Aids. This policy is widely considered to be both discriminatory and lacking in any objective justification. Earlier this year, Lib Dem London MEP Sarah Ludford raised this matter in the European Parliament and launched a campaign to include the abolition of HIV/Aids discrimination in EU visa negotiations with the US. The petition has collected hundreds of signatures.