Pastor Rick Warren, Chuck Colson and Others to Join Members of Congress to Make Stand Against Democrat Plan to Hijack Successful Prevention Program TODAY

Contact: Matt Lloyd, Congressman Mike Pence, 202-226-4379

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 /Standard Newswire/ -- The following is an announcement of today's press release regarding efforts to save global HIV/AIDS funding: 

WHO:  
Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Representative Joe Pitts (R-PA)
Representative Mike Pence (R-IN)
Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX)
Represenative Don Manzullo (R-IL)
Representative Steve Chabot (R-OH)
Representative Marilyn Musgrave
Rick Warren, Senior Pastor, Saddleback Church
Chuck Colson, Founder, Prison Fellowship
Bishop Harry Jackson, Chairman, High Impact Leadership Coalition (HILC)
Wendy Wright, President, Concerned Women for America
Dr. Ezra Suruma, Minister of Finance, Uganda
Dr. Obi Ideh, OB/GYN, Lagos, Nigeria
Day Gardner, President, National Black Pro-Life Union

**Note: Additional participants may be added

WHEN: 
**TODAY***
Thursday, February 7, 2008
11:30 AM

WHERE:
Cannon Terrace

BACKGROUND:
Members of Congress and other leaders will hold a press conference regarding legislation to reauthorize the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).  The press conference will underscore the importance and success of the current PEPFAR policy programs and highlight possible provisions in the Democrat rewrite that threaten to destroy the popular, successful HIV/AIDS program. 

In his 2008 State of the Union, President Bush said "Our Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is treating 1.4 million people.  We can bring healing and hope to many more.  So I ask you to maintain the principles that have changed behavior and made this program a success."

Instead, the Democrats have decided to radically change or abandon the principles of this widely successful program. Their radical rewrite will pour billions into the hands of abortion providers with little or no regard for the pro-life, pro-family cultures of recipient countries.  It also strips provisions that ensure priority funding for the highly effective abstinence and fidelity programs, which have reduced HIV rates in African nations that have implemented it. The Democrat proposal also strips the provision that forbids grants to groups that do not have a policy explicitly opposing prostitution and sex trafficking--a provision designed to combat exploitation of women in recipient countries. 

President Bush's PEPFAR program is the largest commitment ever by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease.  To date, PEPFAR has worked to support life-saving antiretroviral treatment for over 1.45 million men, women and children worldwide including 1.3 million in the 15 focus countries in sub-Saharan African, Asia and the Caribbean--compared to an estimated 50,000 at the time President Bush originally announced the initiative.  Additionally, the program has lead to the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission services for women during more than 10 million pregnancies.