Uganda Draws Ire From U.S. Politicians

by Michael Jones · 2010-02-03 14:34:00 UTC
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UgandaMore than three dozen members of Congress introduced legislation today that would condemn efforts in Uganda to enact one of the harshest anti-gay laws in the world. Members of Congress issued a stinging rebuke to Uganda, warning the country that if they move forward with legislation that would kill gay people and throw many others in jail, they risk becoming known as one of the world's worst human rights abusers.

"The proposed Ugandan bill not only threatens human rights, it also reverses so many of the gains that Uganda has made in the fight against HIV/AIDS," U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Howard Berman said.

The U.S. has invested quite a bit of money in Uganda to fight HIV/AIDS, with close to $300 million going to the country in 2009 alone. Could that money be in jeopardy if Uganda passes this bill?

The timing of today's bill in the U.S. House is particularly cunning. Tomorrow, all eyes will be on the National Prayer Breakfast in D.C., hosted by the evangelical network known as "The Family."  Members of "The Family" not only support Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill, they practically wrote the darn thing. And President Obama is scheduled to speak before the Prayer Breakfast tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the bill also falls on the heels of a letter that dozens of members of Congress sent to President Obama, urging him to speak out on Uganda's bill.

"We strongly believe that the severity of the legislation under consideration in both Uganda and Rwanda requires that you do more," wrote the U.S. legislators. "We ask that you use all means available to seek to deter these bills from passage, and that a tangible and meaningful bilateral response be undertaken should either bill be passed into law."

Let's see if one of those means is a comment during Obama's address tomorrow before the prayer breakfast condemning the bill.

Photo credit: http://madikazemi.blogspot.com

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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