House approves Lee's bill protecting orphans

The House of Representatives voted 415-9 on Tuesday to pass an East Bay congresswoman's bill to focus the nation's response to a global problem of Third World orphaned and vulnerable children.

The bill by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, would create the post of special adviser for orphans and vulnerable children within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

This person would coordinate assistance in basic care; treatment for HIV-infected children, psychosocial support, school food programs, educational opportunities through elimination of school fees, and inheritance rights for orphans and vulnerable children around.

More than 143 million children in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean are identified as orphans, having lost one or both of their parents. Reports have estimated a child is orphaned by AIDS every 14 seconds, often left without food, shelter, education or protection.

Lee issued a news release Tuesday saying too many lives are at stake for the United States to take a haphazard approach to this crisis.

Mark Isaac, vice president of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, issued a release saying this bill's enactment would "signal a remarkable new commitment to the world's 2.2 million HIV- infected children."

"Without treatment most children born with HIV will die by age 5, but if reached in time with the right care and medications, their chances of long-term survival improve dramatically," he said.

Lee's bill had 130 co-sponsors and support from dozens of groups working on HIV/AIDS and international aid issues. A similar Senate bill is pending before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

introduced by chairman Richard Lugar, R-Ind., with Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., among its co-authors.

The House passed Lee's bill in 2004 but a similar Senate measure never reached a vote. Lee on Tuesday urged the Senate to "quickly pass this bill and help these children."

Contact Josh Richman at jrichman@angnewspapers.com.

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