March 10, 2011
NMAC Marks National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Urges Action The following is a statement from National Minority AIDS Council Deputy Executive Director Daniel C. Montoya:
Washington, DC — “Today, the National Minority AIDS Council stands with its friends and allies in marking the 6th annual National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD). At a time when Congressional Republicans are fighting to strip funding for family planning and reproductive health services for millions of women, NWGHAAD is not only a day to raise awareness of the epidemic’s toll on America’s women and girls, but also a day for action.
“Women bare an increasingly heavy burden of the AIDS epidemic both globally and in America, especially young women and women of color. More than a quarter of all new HIV infections in the U.S. are among women. What’s more, infection rates among African American and Latina women are fifteen and four times as high as White women respectively. AIDS is the third leading cause of death, behind cancer and heart disease, for all women in the U.S.
“Our nation must step up its efforts to combat this epidemic and ensure the health of our mothers, sisters and daughters. Federal funding for family planning provides sexual and reproductive health counseling for millions of low-income women, including education about and screenings for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. NMAC urges all women to get educated, know their status and demand that Congress not play politics with women’s health.
Contact: Kyle Murphy, (202) 483-6622 ext. 333
kmurphy@nmac.org