New Health Care in Motion: Anti-Abortion Agenda in Congress Threatens PEPFAR Program

The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is a U.S. global health program that Congress first authorized more than two decades ago. Through provision of HIV prevention and treatment services and investment in HIV infrastructure, PEPFAR has saved over 25 million lives. The program is up for reauthorization this year, meaning Congress is charged with assessing whether any changes should be made to bring the program in line with current needs and priorities. This should be a relatively smooth legislative process given PEPFAR’s history as a celebrated program with widespread bipartisan support. Yet PEPFAR’s reauthorization is currently in jeopardy amidst political rancor over abortion.

Read our latest issue of Health Care in Motion for the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation’s (CHLPI’s) brief analysis of the issue.