Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) was a commission formed by President Bill Clinton in 1995 to provide recommendations on the US government's response to the AIDS epidemic. President George W. Bush and Secretary Tommy G. Thompson renewed the Council's charter on July 19, 2001.

History

The Council was not the first Presidential inquiry into HIV. In 1987, Ronald Reagan appointed the President's Commission on the HIV Epidemic (1987–88) to investigate the AIDS epidemic. This was followed by the National Commission on AIDS (1989-1993).

Members

Current members

The council members as of April 2016 are:

Former members

Criticism

Critics have said they lack confidence in PACHA and note that the Council as reorganized under President Bush held only two meetings in 2002 and issued only five recommendations to the White House. By comparison, the President's Commission on the HIV Epidemic (Watkins Commission) submitted 597 recommendations to the Reagan Administration.

The Union of Concerned Scientists released a report in February 2004 entitled Scientific Integrity in Policymaking that said that President Bush intentionally appointed under-qualified individuals to PACHA as part of a broader effort to manipulate the government's scientific advisory system by providing the appearance of expert advice while controlling the advice given.

Critics pointed to the appointment of Dr. Joseph McIlhaney, a Texas-based doctor known for rejecting the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases and for his advocacy of abstinence-only programs despite negligible evidence that they reduce pregnancy rates among young people.

See also

References

External links

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