From: kadie@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu (Carl M. Kadie)
Newsgroups: alt.politics.elections,alt.politics.homosexuality,soc.motss,alt.society.civil-liberty,uiuc.civil-liberty
Subject: [Republicans] On Gay Rights and AIDS
Date: 6 Oct 92 22:00:40 GMT
Article-I.D.: m.1992Oct6.220040.2394
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL

[From the Republican Platform posted to alt.politics.elections -cmk]

[...]
Unlike the Democrat Party and its candidate,
we support the continued exclusion of homosexuals from the
military as a matter of good order and discipline.
[...]
     We also stand united with those private organizations, such
as the Boy Scouts of America, who are defending decency in
fulfillment of their own moral responsibilities.  We reject the
irresponsible position of those corporations that have cut off
contributions to such organizations because of their courageous
stand for family values.  Moreover, we oppose efforts by the
Democrat Party to include sexual preference as a protected
minority receiving preferential status under civil rights
statutes at the federal, State, and local level.

     We oppose any legislation or law which legally recognizes
same-sex marriages and allows such couples to adopt children or
provide foster care.
[...]

*AIDS*.  The HIV/AIDS epidemic has exploded over the past decade
into a crisis of tragic proportions.  In our country, AIDS has
already claimed more than 150,000 lives, and as many as one
million more Americans may have been infected with the virus.

     Epidemics have, throughout history, challenged governments,
which have too often been powerless to combat them.  Science --
and human wisdom -- have advanced, however, and we have met this
crisis not only with a massive commitment of resources but also
with a personal determination on the part of the President.  That
commitment and leadership will continue.

     AIDS should be treated like any other communicable or
sexually transmitted disease, while at the same time preserving
patient confidentiality.  We are committed to ensure that our
Nation's response to AIDS is shaped by compassion, not fear or
ignorance, and will oppose, as a matter of decency and honor, any
discrimination against Americans who are its victims.

     We encourage State legislature to enact legislation which
makes it a criminal act for anyone knowingly to transmit the AIDS
virus.

     We will seek to ensure that medical personnel, and the
people who trust in their care, will be protected against
infection.

     This disease also challenges America scientifically.  We
must succeed in slowing the epidemic's spread.  The
Administration has thus placed great emphasis on a variety of
prevention efforts to do so.  We must recognize, also, that
prevention is linked ultimately to personal responsibility and
moral behavior.  We reject the notion that the distribution of
clean needles and condoms are the solution to stopping the spread
of AIDS.  Education designed to curb the spread of this disease
should stress marital fidelity, abstinence, and a drug-free
lifestyle.  There must be a means for successfully treating the
virus, and this has led to a threefold increase in research and
steps to speed the approval process for new drugs that could make
a crucial difference to those infected.  Above all, a cure must
be found.  We have committed enormous resources -- $4.2 billion
over the past four years for research alone, more than for any
disease except cancer.  In keeping with the American spirit, our
fellow citizens with HIV/AIDS deserve our compassion and our
care, and they deserve our united commitment to a cure.
[...]

=====================
--
Carl Kadie -- kadie@cs.uiuc.edu -- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Newsgroups: alt.politics.elections,alt.politics.bush,alt.conspiracy,alt.activism