November 3, 2009 | Sex & Society

Obama lifts HIV-poz travel ban

A 22-year-old law that prohibits HIV-positive foreigners from entering the US will be lifted at the end of this year. On Friday, President Barack Obama said the original ban --  one of the most restrictive in the world -- had been a "decision rooted in fear rather than fact."

The aim of the ban was to prohibit long-term foreign residents from obtaining resident status. Similar laws are in place in countries like Yemen and Qatar.

"If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it," he added. "And that's why on Monday, my administration will publish a final rule that eliminates the travel ban effective just after the New Year."

And it only took 22 years to make the change? Wow, that's lightning speed in Washington!

Obama lifts ban on HIV-positive people entering the US [PinkNews]