0108Huckabee

www.ambiente.us JANUARY / ENERO 2008

Huckabee wanted to isolate AIDS patients

by Andrew DeMillo

Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients
from the general public, opposed increased federal
funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality
could "pose a dangerous public health risk."
As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee
answered 229 questions submitted to him by The
Associated Press. Besides a quarantine, Huckabee
suggested that Hollywood celebrities fund AIDS research
from their own pockets, rather than federal health agencies.
"If the federal government is truly serious about doing
something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps
that would isolate the carriers of this plague," Huckabee
wrote.
"It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS.
It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the
carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from
the general population, and in which this deadly disease
for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights
issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."
The AP submitted the questionnaire to both candidates;
only Huckabee responded. Incumbent Sen. Dale Bumpers
won his fourth term; Huckabee was elected lieutenant
governor the next year and became governor in 1996.
When asked about AIDS research in 1992, Huckabee complained that AIDS research received an unfair
share of federal dollars when compared to cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
"In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional
federal spending can be justified," Huckabee wrote. "An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire
celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor (,) Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be
encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research."
Huckabee did not return messages left with his campaign.
When Huckabee wrote his answers in 1992, it was common knowledge that AIDS could not be spread by
casual contact. In late 1991, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 195,718 AIDS
patients in the country and that 126,159 people had died from the syndrome.
The nation had an increased awareness of AIDS at the time because pro basketball star Magic Johnson had
recently disclosed he carried the virus responsible for it. Johnson retired but returned to the NBA briefly
during the 1994-95 season.
Since becoming a presidential candidate this year, Huckabee has supported increased federal funding for
AIDS research through the National Institutes of Health.
"My administration will be the first to have an overarching strategy for dealing with HIV and AIDS here in the
United States, with a partnership between the public and private sectors that will provide necessary financing
and a realistic path toward our goals," Huckabee said in a statement posted on his campaign Web site last
month.
Also in the wide-ranging AP questionnaire in 1992, Huckabee said, "I feel homosexuality is an aberrant,
unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk."
A Southern Baptist preacher, Huckabee has been a favorite among social conservatives for his vocal
opposition to gay marriage. In 2003, Huckabee said that the U.S. Supreme Court was probably right to strike
down anti-sodomy laws, but that states still should be able to restrict things such as gay marriage or
domestic partner benefits.
"What people do in the privacy of their own lives as adults is their business," Huckabee said. "If they bring it
into the public square and ask me as a taxpayer to support it or to endorse it, then it becomes a matter of
public discussion and discourse."

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