02.11.08 SFAF and Pangaea Mourn Tom Lantos

San Francisco, February 11, 2008 — The San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation join the rest of the nation in mourning the death of Representative Tom Lantos (D-CA), who passed away this morning from complications due to cancer.

Throughout his 28-year political career, Tom Lantos ensured that the U.S. government place a premium on human rights when drafting and implementing domestic and foreign policies. He founded and co-chaired the 24-year-old Congressional Human Rights Caucus, and brought the same concern for justice to his recent position as Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Perhaps not as well known, however, were Lantos’ efforts to champion national and international AIDS programs. Lantos insisted governments enact sustainable strategies to combat HIV by expanding basic health care and addressing broader issues of gender-equity, poverty, food insecurity, and unequal access to education.

Lantos recently authored legislation renewing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in a way that respected the cultures and needs of the individual recipient countries. He worked to eliminate an ideologically-based provision requiring one-third of all prevention spending go to abstinence-only programs, which had proved so ineffective; and to lift the so-called “prostitution pledge” currently impeding HIV prevention efforts among sex workers.

Lantos was a conscience of the Congress. He led with his passion for justice. He inspired with his compassion for all.