It’s always refreshing to see when good deeds don’t go unnoticed. When President Bush presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civil honor – to a number of individuals just this morning, PEPFAR was the name of the game.

The Medal of Freedom was awarded to the late Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.). His wife, Mrs. Annette Lantos, received the award on his behalf. By many standards, Rep. Lantos’ stature as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee was enough to make him a hero. This was a man who escaped a forced labor camp in World War II, emigrated to the United States and, after a career as a professor, earned his place as an esteemed member of the House of Representatives.

But Rep. Lantos didn’t stop there. Throughout his entire life, Mr. Lantos strove to extend the qualities of justice and equality throughout the world. He championed PEPFAR, working to make it a program that would be “sustainable for generations to come.” As chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Lantos shaped and pushed legislation that has provided treatment for 1.4 million people. Even more, PEPFAR has provided care for AIDS orphans, prevented new treatments and made significant progress to treat and prevent new infections of malaria and tuberculosis.

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Today in Washington, the Global AIDS Alliance hosted a teleconference for journalists to talk about the urgency of passing the Hyde-Lantos Bill (a.k.a. PEPFAR). Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a longtime supporter of the fight against poverty, was joined on the call by Annette Tilleman-Dick, eldest daughter of the late Representative Tom Lantos, for whom this legislation is named. Tomorrow Mrs. Lantos will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom on behalf of her late husband in part for his dedicated work on AIDS and poverty.

Archbishop Tutu said, “The U.S. has a wonderful opportunity to help make God’s world a compassionate place, so the vulnerable ones will know they’re not here to be taken advantage of but to be cared for. We belong together as a human family. I plead with the leaders in Congress for the sake of the world, for the sake of the future, expedite the passing of the legislation.”

Annette Tilleman-Dick said, “Freedom and prosperity come with responsibility. We have an opportunity to see this bill, which was my father’s final work, come to conclusion.”

You can listen to a recording of Desmund Tutu and Annette Tilleman-Dick speaking on today’s call on the ONE podcast.

-Taylor Royle

Late Tuesday night, bipartisan cooperation in the House Foreign Affairs Committee moved us one critical step closer to approving the 5-year expansion of the “President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief” or “PEPFAR.”

The legislation they passed yesterday, “The Lantos-Hyde US Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria Act” would transition PEPFAR from an emergency response to a sustainable response program, and provide for expanded training for 140,000 new health care professionals and community care workers. The bill also strongly focuses on prevention and includes comprehensive efforts that place a special emphasis on women and on the underlying factors which make them vulnerable to HIV infection, including a focus on violence against women.

In all, the U.S. would provide lifesaving treatment for at least three million AIDS patients; prevent 12 million new infections; provide care for five million AIDS orphans; and train and support 140,000 new health professionals. The bill also provides $4 billion for the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis and $5 billion to fight malaria.

Although the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s action this week marks a critical momentum shift for PEPFAR’s reauthorization, the full House must continue to uphold this commitment to bipartisanship and pass the the bill (protecting all provisions) during a House floor vote.

-Virginia Simmons