III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 507 

Recognizing the importance of the goal of National Women’s Health Week 

to empower adolescent girls and women of all ages to make informed 

choices about their sexual activity and effective steps to prevent against 

HIV. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 15, 2018 

Mr. BOOKER submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the importance of the goal of National Women’s 

Health Week to empower adolescent girls and women 

of all ages to make informed choices about their sexual 

activity and effective steps to prevent against HIV. 

Whereas approximately 1⁄2 of the 36,700,000 people living 

with human immunodeficiency virus (commonly known as 

‘‘HIV’’) worldwide are women; 

Whereas approximately 1,000 adolescent girls and young 

women worldwide are infected with HIV each day; 

Whereas 22 percent of new HIV infections worldwide in 2016 

were in young women between 15 and 24 years of age; 


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•SRES 507 IS 

Whereas 120,000 children worldwide died in 2016 of causes 

related to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (commonly known as ‘‘AIDS’’); 

Whereas AIDS is a leading cause of death among adolescents 

globally; 

Whereas young girls who experience violence are 3 times 

more likely to be infected with HIV, and a survey of 11 

countries found that 1 in 3 women reported their first 

sexual experience as forced or coerced; 

Whereas girls account for 74 percent of new HIV infections 

among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa; 

Whereas 1 in 4 people living with HIV in the United States 

is a female who is 13 years of age or older; 

Whereas approximately 226,000 women live with HIV in the 

United States; 

Whereas 20 percent of the AIDS diagnoses in the United 

States, from the beginning of the epidemic through the 

end of 2015, were among women; 

Whereas HIV affects all demographics of women, however, 

African-American women are disproportionately affected; 

Whereas African-American women made up more than 61 

percent of new HIV infections in 2015, while only accounting for 14 percent of the female population in the 

United States; 

Whereas 1⁄2 of the women living with HIV in the United 

States are receiving care; 

Whereas only 4 in 10 HIV infected women in the United 

States have reached viral suppression; 


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Whereas the annual number of HIV infections through 

perinatal transmission in the United States has declined 

by over 90 percent since the early 1990s; 

Whereas, when a woman living with HIV receives comprehensive care before, during, and after a pregnancy, the risk 

of passing HIV to their child reduces to less than 1 percent; 

Whereas women and adolescent girls face serious prevention 

challenges due to inadequate access to evidence-based, 

age appropriate comprehensive sexuality and HIV prevention education and prevention tools, including— 

(1) male and female condoms; 

(2) pre-exposure prophylaxis (commonly referred to 

as ‘‘PrEP’’) and testing; 

(3) sexual and gender based violence prevention and 

care services; and 

(4) sexual and reproductive health information and 

services, including screening and treatment for sexually 

transmitted infections; 

Whereas PrEP regimens are more than 90 percent effective 

in reducing the risk of HIV infection from sex, yet only 

10 to 20 percent of at risk women were aware of PrEP 

regimens as a viable HIV prevention option in 2014; and 

Whereas transgender women and women who are lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex are between 19 and 40 

percent more at risk of HIV than the general population, 

and have risk factors that are exacerbated by stigma, discrimination, and violence: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the importance of the goal of Na3 tional Women’s Health Week to empower young 


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1 women to make informed choices about their sexual 

2 activity and take effective steps to protect against 

3 human immunodeficiency virus (commonly referred 

4 to as ‘‘HIV’’); 

5 (2) applauds the leadership of the United 

6 States on efforts to eliminate new pediatric HIV in7 fections in the United States and around the world, 

8 and supports providing adolescent girls and young 

9 women with the evidence-based approaches necessary 

10 to prevent new HIV infections in themselves and 

11 their children; 

12 (3) supports the investment of the United 

13 States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief 

14 (commonly referred to as ‘‘PEPFAR’’) in the 

15 DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, 

16 AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe) partnership, that 

17 aims to significantly reduce new HIV infections 

18 among adolescent girls and young women through 

19 evidence-based, multi-sectoral approaches and en20 courages PEPFAR to expand this approach and in21 vestment; 

22 (4) commends PEPFAR for significantly reduc23 ing in 2017, for the first time, new HIV infections 

24 among adolescent girls and young women within the 

25 highest-burden areas of 10 sub-Saharan African 


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1 countries, and notes the need for ongoing work so 

2 women and girls can realize their right to live free 

3 from HIV, violence, and discrimination, including in 

4 the United States; 

5 (5) encourages State and local governments, in6 cluding public health agencies and media organiza7 tions, to recognize and support National Women’s 

8 Health Week, publicize its importance among com9 munities, and encourage individuals, especially 

10 women and girls, to get tested for HIV; 

11 (6) supports effective and comprehensive HIV 

12 prevention education programs targeted at women 

13 and girls to promote their knowledge and access to 

14 information and services, including for early identi15 fication of vulnerabilities through screening for vio16 lence, testing, and other modalities that connect 

17 those in need to evidence-based and human rights18 based prevention, care, and treatment services; and 

19 (7) urges continued investment and engagement 

20 across foreign assistance programs and diplomatic 

21 efforts to address violence against women and girls, 

22 to combat discrimination on the basis of sexual ori23 entation and gender identity, and to recognize the 

24 inability of adolescent girls to access a full range of 


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1 their sexual and reproductive health and rights as a 

2 key driver of the HIV pandemic. 

Æ 


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