An Open Letter to President Bill Clinton

This post was authored by Nicki Imanguli and Abbey Marr. 

An Open Letter to President Bill Clinton 

Dear President Clinton,

You have let us down.  So far, you are the best President of our lifetimes, and you have let us down.  We eagerly awaited your keynote speech at the International AIDS Conference (IAC) in Mexico City because we wanted to hear your commitments to overcoming the plight of HIV and AIDS, including your commitments to reproductive rights and health of young people.  You see, as young women, we count on you and other decision makers, to recognize our rights, respect us as young adults, and provide the necessary resources that will allow us, as young people, to take responsibility for our actions and decisions.  

In your speech, you expressed your support for important issues such as the prevention of mother-to-child transmission, the creation of a separate UN agency for women for gender-based violence prevention in the UN, and the importance of dealing with the social realities of HIV and AIDS in low and middle income countries.  We applaud you for that.   

However, you failed to mention the population that has the highest rate of new HIV infections--young people. By failing to acknowledge young people, you have denied us your respect and your commitment to provide resources that not only include condoms and other forms of contraception, but also access to comprehensive sex education both domestically and abroad. And we are disappointed. Further, by grouping a 15-year-old young man living with AIDS and his 20-year-old sister in the same population as children, you ignored the needs, rights, and realities of young people, ages of 15-24, as one of the fastest growing populations with HIV.  So we must ask this question - where is your commitment to us?  

Ironically, a few minutes after your speech, we stumbled upon hope from an unlikely source. During a discussion, a representative of the current Bush Administration acknowledged the separate needs of young people in fighting the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Surprisingly, the representative we spoke with treated us with respect, by listening and recognizing our needs in the conversation.  We explained  how crucial and important it was for young people to have access to comprehensive sex education and HIV prevention education and how the current ideologically-driven abstinence-until-marriage policy incorporated into the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief  (PEPFAR) undermined that information. His response began with an acknowledgment of current domestic and international policies and he encouraged us to take our energy, stories, and realities to the policy makers on the Hill.  He seemed sincerely shocked by just how little information young people receive.  

We realize that this conversation could be just empty rhetoric from an administration that has consistently compromised the health of young people through abstinence-only education policies domestically and internationally.  However, we appreciated the discussion and acknowledgement that young people matter. The sexual and reproductive health of young people should not be a partisan issue. Democrats and Republicans should recognize the needs of young people to receive science-based, accurate sexual health information. This is an issue that cuts across party lines, and we sincerely hope that the next president--whether a Democrat or a Republican--will recognize the needs and realities of young people both abroad and domestically.  We hope that a new administration will respect young people's rights, understand our need for resources, and facilitate an environment where we are empowered, rather than obstructed, by ideology and politics, to take responsibility for our sexual and reproductive health. 

      Sincerely, 

      Nickie Imanguli and Abbey Marr

      Advocates For Youth