Six members of Trump's HIV/AIDS advisory council resign because he 'does not care
Six members of Trump's HIV/AIDS advisory council resign because he 'does not care'
by Mandy Mayfield | Jun 17, 2017, 8:13 PM
The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS has lost six members due to what they say is an administration that seeks to reverse positive health policies to fight HIV/AIDS and a president "who simply does not care."
"As advocates for people living with HIV, we have dedicated our lives to combating this disease and no longer feel we can do so effectively within the confines of an advisory body to a president who simply does not care," Scott Schoettes, a member who resigned wrote in an op-ed for Newsweek.
Schoettes explained that the decision to resign from PACHA was not one he nor any of his colleagues took lightly. However, he stressed that they could not stand by and watch President Trump regress health policies that enable people living with HIV/AIDS the "life-saving medications" they need.
PACHA was created in 1995 and is a group of individuals who provide advice and recommendations to the secretary of health and human services regarding programs, policies and research for preventing and one day curing HIV.
According to Schoettes, members are appointed by the president and currently include "public health officials, researchers, health care providers, faith leaders, HIV advocates, and people living with HIV."
Six members of Trump's HIV/AIDS advisory council resign because he 'does not care'