Huckabee wanted to isolate AIDS patients

By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 25 minutes ago Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could "pose a dangerous public health risk." As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. Besides a quarantine, Huckabee suggested that Hollywood celebrities fund AIDS research from their own pockets, rather than federal health agencies. "If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague," Huckabee wrote. "It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents." The AP submitted the questionnaire to both candidates; only Huckabee responded. Incumbent Sen. Dale Bumpers won his four term; Huckabee was elected lieutenant governor the next year and became governor in 1996. When asked about AIDS research in 1992, Huckabee complained that AIDS research received an unfair share of federal dollars when compared to cancer, diabetes and heart disease. "In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified," Huckabee wrote. "An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor (,) Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research." Huckabee did not return messages left with his campaign. When Huckabee wrote his answers in 1992, it was common knowledge that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact. In late 1991, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 195,718 AIDS patients in the country and that 126,159 people had died from the syndrome. The nation had an increased awareness of AIDS at the time because pro basketball star Magic Johnson had recently disclosed he carried the virus responsible for it. Johnson retired but returned to the NBA briefly during the 1994-95 season. Since becoming a presidential candidate this year, Huckabee has supported increased federal funding for AIDS research through the National Institutes of Health. "My administration will be the first to have an overarching strategy for dealing with HIV and AIDS here in the United States, with a partnership between the public and private sectors that will provide necessary financing and a realistic path toward our goals," Huckabee said in a statement posted on his campaign Web site last month. Also in the wide-ranging AP questionnaire in 1992, Huckabee said, "I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk." A Southern Baptist preacher, Huckabee has been a favorite among social conservatives for his vocal opposition to gay marriage. In 2003, Huckabee said that the U.S. Supreme Court was probably right to strike down anti-sodomy laws, but that states still should be able to restrict things such as gay marriage or domestic partner benefits. "What people do in the privacy of their own lives as adults is their business," Huckabee said. "If they bring it into the public square and ask me as a taxpayer to support it or to endorse it, then it becomes a matter of public discussion and discourse."

For World AIDS Day, Huckabee Endorses ETHA

The suffering and loss of life caused by HIV/AIDS is a national and international tragedy. Here at home, more than a million of us have HIV or AIDS, with 40,000 new cases last year. The incidence of new infections has not declined in fifteen years. This disease is especially devastating to our minority communities, which account for two of every three new cases. While African-Americans are only 13% of our population, they are half of our AIDS cases. The rate of infection is ten times as high for African-Americans as for whites, and three times as high for Latinos. Ending this disparity must be one of our top goals. While we must continue our global leadership on HIV/AIDS, we must also take care of our own. My administration will be the first to have an overarching strategy for dealing with HIV and AIDS here in the United States, with a partnership between the public and private sectors that will provide necessary financing and a realistic path toward our goals. We must prevent new infections and provide more accessible care. We must transform the promise of a vaccine and a cure into reality. In some areas, such as reducing mother-to-child transmission and securing our blood supply, we have achieved dramatic success. But we have so much more to accomplish. In most states today, only those with AIDS are eligible for Medicaid. We must expand that coverage to those with HIV because early intervention will result in better management and longer life. We must continue to fund the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides much needed treatment and support services to low-income Americans, and make certain that the money goes to the communities and parts of the country where the disease has migrated. We must provide more funding for research, such as that done at our National Institutes of Health. I am proud that the United States has led the global battle against HIV/ AIDS. We have both a strategic interest as the world's only superpower and a moral obligation as the world's richest country to continue to do so until this scourge is a memory. The magnitude of the numbers is heartbreaking: the United Nations' report for 2007 shows more than 33 million people have HIV/AIDS, with 2.5 million newly infected and over 2 million deaths. At the end of each day, about 5,700 people have died from AIDS, and 6,800 are newly infected. Behind these statistics lies the individual story of a unique human being, stories of great suffering and sorrow, of children deprived of their nurturing mothers and their bread-winning fathers. There are almost 12 million AIDS orphans in Africa, many living in institutions or on the streets. It seems overwhelming, but there is also good news: antiretroviral drugs cost just 40 cents a day, and the number of people in Africa receiving them grew from just 1% to 28% between 2002 and 2006. We must do even better in the next four years. I support President Bush's proposal to double our initial commitment from $15 billion to $30 billion over the next five years for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). PEPFAR has already done an extraordinary amount of good, by providing drugs for over a million people and care for four-and-a-half million people, but it expires in 2008 and must be reauthorized. I support an increase in our commitment to the Global Fund. Through PEPFAR and the Global Fund, we can do our fair share to meet the Millennium Development Goals we affirmed in 2000, which include universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care. We must always be mindful that "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." Permalink: http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Blogs.View&Blog_id=778