The same week that Presidential Candidate John Edwards released a widely praised HIV/AIDS Policy Agenda, Hillary Clinton announced that she will be holding a briefing on HIV and Women on the Hill. The briefing will take place Monday, October 22 from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM in the Russell Senate Office Building, room 385.

Over the last 25 years of the AIDS epidemic in the United States, women have come to represent a growing proportion of new HIV/AIDS cases, more than tripling from 8% of new cases in 1985 to 27% of new cases in 2005. Women of color have been especially hard hit and represent the majority of new HIV and AIDS cases among women, and the majority of women living with HIV/AIDS.

Clinton has been criticized by AIDS advocates because her recently released health care plan offers no specific recommendations around HIV/AIDS. Clinton supports the Early Treatment for HIV ACT (ETHA), but has frustrated advocates by remaining undecided on federal funding for science-based HIV prevention through needle exchange. Clinton also has yet to respond to the 08 Stop AIDS call for $50 million over five years to fight the global AIDS epidemic, or to the call for a National AIDS Strategy.