March 10, 2025
Ms. Waters (for herself, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Ms. Norton, Ms. Velázquez, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Crockett, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. McClellan, Mrs. McIver, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. Titus, and Mrs. Watson Coleman) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
Whereas the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS);
Whereas the first cases of what later came to be known as AIDS were reported in the United States in 1981, marking the beginning of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic;
Whereas HIV continues to spread in the United States and around the world, and AIDS-related illnesses continue to kill thousands of people in the United States and globally;
Whereas, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 1,200,000 people living with HIV in the United States, and approximately 22 percent of them are women;
Whereas, every year in the United States, there are approximately 31,800 new HIV infections, and 8,000 people die with HIV-related illnesses;
Whereas women accounted for 19 percent of new HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2022;
Whereas, according to an estimate from the CDC, 13 percent of those who are infected with HIV in the United States do not know they are infected;
Whereas women of color, especially African-American women, are disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States, accounting for the majority of new HIV diagnoses, the majority of women living with HIV, and the majority of deaths among women with HIV;
Whereas, in the United States, African-American women account for 50 percent of new HIV diagnoses among women, Latina women account for 20 percent of new HIV diagnoses among women, and Asian-American women, Native American women, and women of multiple races account for an additional 5 percent of new HIV diagnoses among women;
Whereas the CDC recommends that all patients between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care, and that patients who may have risk factors for HIV be screened at least annually;
Whereas the CDC recommends that all pregnant women be screened for HIV;
Whereas, when a woman living with HIV receives comprehensive care before, during, and after a pregnancy, it significantly reduces the risk of passing HIV to her child;
Whereas the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) leads global efforts to stop the spread of HIV and respond to the worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic;
Whereas, according to UNAIDS, globally, more than 42,000,000 people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the beginning of the epidemic, and 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2023;
Whereas there are almost 40,000,000 people living with HIV globally, and 53 percent of them are women and girls;
Whereas 44 percent of all new HIV infections globally were among women and girls in 2023;
Whereas, every week, 4,000 adolescent girls and young women between the ages of 15 and 24 years became infected with HIV globally in 2023, and 3,100 of these infections occurred in sub-Saharan Africa;
Whereas inequitable gender norms, transactional sex, sexual violence, sexually transmitted infections, and early pregnancy continue to drive new HIV infections among women and girls in many countries;
Whereas women and adolescent girls face serious challenges with respect to the prevention of HIV infection due to inadequate access to evidence-based and rights-based, age-appropriate, and comprehensive sexuality and HIV-prevention education and tools, including—
(1)
pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and testing;
(2)
sexual- and gender-based violence prevention and care services; and
(3)
sexual and reproductive health information and services, including screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and access to a full range of contraceptive methods, including male and female condoms;
Whereas National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is observed on March 10, 2025; and
Whereas, each year on March 10, individuals, organizations, and policymakers across the United States participate in National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day to increase awareness of, spark conversations on, and highlight the work being done to reduce the incidence of HIV among women and girls while showing support for those with HIV: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
(1)
recognizes the progress made in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic since its inception 44 years ago, and recommits to bipartisan efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the United States and globally;
(2)
calls for greater focus on the HIV-related vulnerabilities of women and girls, including those at risk of, or who have survived or faced, violence or discrimination as a result of the disease;
(3)
supports strong, sustained investment in prevention, care, treatment services, and research programs, including efforts to reduce disparities and improve access to lifesaving medications, for women and girls affected by HIV and individuals diagnosed with HIV in the United States and globally;
(4)
supports efforts in the United States to reduce new HIV infections, increase access to care and improve health outcomes for women and girls living with HIV, reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequities, and achieve a more coordinated national response to the HIV epidemic;
(5)
supports the investment of the United States in global efforts to significantly reduce new HIV infections among women and girls through evidence-based, multisectoral approaches;
(6)
encourages youth-friendly, culturally responsive, inclusive, and accessible health care services, especially access to medications such as pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis and antiretroviral therapy, to better provide for the early identification of HIV through voluntary routine testing and to connect those in need to clinically and culturally appropriate care and treatment as early as possible;
(7)
encourages continued investment and engagement across foreign assistance programs and diplomatic efforts to—
(A)
address violence against women and girls;
(B)
combat discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity; and
(C)
recognize the inability of adolescent girls to access a full range of sexual and reproductive health services and rights as a key driver of the HIV epidemic; and
(8)
promotes access to up-to-date, inclusive, culturally responsive, and medically accurate information about HIV, such as information on pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis, in sexual education curricula to ensure that all individuals, including women and girls, are educated about HIV.