US Ban on HIV-Positive Individuals Under Scrutiny

The US is under fire due to the recent incident which happened due to a custom official refusing the entry of a Canadian Citizen named Martin Rooney for the sole reason that he is infected with HIV, a virus that causes AIDS.

Existing US law inhibits the entry of individuals with debilitating diseases including HIV/AIDS for entry into the United States. Mr Rooney was on his way to the United States to spend his weekend and attend the Remembrance Day last November (2007). Though honest about his intentions and transparent about his current condition, he was refused entry into the US due to that same reason and was required to secure a visa waiver and was sent back to Canada on that same date.

Democrat Senator John Kerry is now proposing a bill that would ratify the existing Immigration and Nationality Act that is preventing HIV-positive individuals from travelling to the United States for various reasons. Read more at GlobeandMail.com.