The Oberlin Review
<< Front page News October 1, 2004

Students to protest AIDS at national VP debate

With the war in Iraq taking central stage during the presidential debates, political advocates are working to ensure that other issues find their way into discussions.

The Student Global AIDS Campaign is planning to do a mock debate at Case Western the day before the vice presidential debate.

“We’re still unsure of the details because we are trying to make sure that the demonstration has the most impact,” said Healy Thompson, the National Coordinator of SGAC.

“The plan probably won’t be finalized until Sunday.”

This coming weekend, the last before the vice presidential debate at Case Western, Oberlin will be hosting the National Leadership Conference. Oberlin was chosen because of its proximity to Case Western.

“We want to make sure the issue of AIDS is on the agenda. We’re mainly focused on getting money donated to the global fund,” said Michelle Weinberger, the senior in charge of Oberlin’s chapter of SGAC.

SGAC is trying to bring the AIDS Vote platform to the attention of the public and the candidates.

“I think a lot of us have been fighting Bush’s bad proposals and making him live up to the promises he made. The AIDS epidemic is at a tipping point. We could save a lot of lives,” said Michael Kink, a member of the legislative council for Housing Works.

The website is a non-partisan site which promotes the AIDS platform. It urges the president in January to take actions like dropping the debt of the world’s poorest countries, making generic drugs available instead of unaffordable medications and empowering women and teaching them how to protect themselves. Most significantly though, the platform asks for at least $30 billion to be donated to the United Nations’ Global Fund during the president’s next term in office.

The website also posted a survey given to each candidates on their platform. Kerry answered favorably.

“I have led the fight to combat this epidemic at home and abroad during my time in the Senate and will continue to fight the AIDS crisis every day of my presidency by providing $30 billion to fight global AIDS, moving towards universal treatment of AIDS victims around the world and increasing the funding for AIDS treatment right here in the United States,” wrote Kerry in his statement on the website.

President George W. Bush has not responded to the survey.

“Both of the candidates have the potential to make AIDS a very strong moral issue. Kerry certainly has a respectable record with the issue,” Kink said.

“One of the big things that we can do is make sure that our politicians know that this is a big deal,” Weinberger said.

“Our goal is to get a question about AIDS asked at the debate,” Thompson said. “It is critically important. This is an issue especially important to students who are being silenced even though these debates are taking place on their campus.”


 
 

   

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