Lives are at risk. Thousands of low-income Californians stand to lose HIV medication under a new plan by the governor, putting their lives in very real danger. This is inhumane and unacceptable. If we stand by and allow this to happen, people will die. We cannot be silent; we must speak up now.
California is facing the worst budget crisis in our history and, in a hasty attempt to bring fiscal order to our state's broken budget system, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed wide-sweeping budget cuts – cuts that will turn back the clock on our progress and put lives in jeopardy.
He is trying to fix a problem that affects all of us by hurting those of us most in need.
Schwarzenegger's current proposal decimates state general fund support to the Office of AIDS and several of its programs. At this time, the proposed cuts total more than $80 million and would devastate life-saving programs such as testing and counseling; education and prevention services; housing; health insurance support; and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, one of the nation's most successful public health initiatives. More than 35,000 middle- and working-class Californians rely on ADAP as their primary source for costly HIV medications, which the state can get at steeply reduced rates for which individual patients and health systems do not qualify. Without continuing to fund ADAP at its current level, we are turning our backs on neighbors and friends who depend on this program not only to thrive, but to survive. We are forcing them to pay for needed medication that they could otherwise not afford. If these cuts go through, these Californians will be forced to choose between paying for medicine or paying for food and rent.
Schwarzenegger's proposals not only dismantle programs on whose lives people with HIV/AIDS depend, but they undermine the ability of local jurisdictions to secure other funding, further overwhelming local health care systems. A large portion of federal funding coming to California – including Ryan White CARE Act funding – is contingent on the state fulfilling its own fiscal obligations. By slashing our state's programs, we put ourselves at a very real risk of losing millions in these vital federal funds, compounding the damage of these life-threatening cuts.
Our state government has tough choices to make, but putting people's lives at risk is not an option. Our very lives should not be put on the line in order to balance the budget. It's time for our community to speak out. There are three things you can do to demand action now and help make sure these draconian cuts are not made.
1. Call your state senator and assembly member now and tell them to say "no" to Schwarzenegger's proposed budget cuts. Tell them that we cannot balance our budget by taking away access to life-saving medicines and programs. You can find out who your legislators are and how to contact them by going to http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/ and click on "your legislature."
2. Call Governor Schwarzenegger at (916) 445-2841 and tell him that he cannot play politics with our lives and must drop his dangerous proposal to cut ADAP and other essential HIV/AIDS programs now.
3. Join a growing coalition of grassroots organizations from across the state on June 10 as we march in Sacramento to demand that our state fulfill its moral obligation to help the neediest among us. Visit our website, www.eqca.org for more information about the march and other ways you can do your part.
This is not a question of saving money; it is a question of saving lives. We must take a stand and speak up now. Silence equals death.
Geoff Kors is the executive director of Equality California, the state's LGBT legislative and lobbying organization.