119-hres210

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 210 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 210

 Supporting the goals and ideals of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS 
 Awareness Day.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 March 10, 2025

 Ms. Waters (for herself, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Ms. Norton, Ms. 
 Velazquez, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 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
 Resolved, 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.
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