Thousands of AIDS Activists Protest Obama Trade Policy

New agreement could cut off access to medications, experts warn

President Barack Obama has been so busy balancing his re-election and the duties of his office; it’s likely he missed the thousands of people protesting a new U.S. trade agreement.

HIV/AIDS activists, who are in Washington for the week-long International AIDS Conference, marched in protest of the agreement that may cut off access to life-saving medications for AIDS patients, the Huffington Post reports.

Thousands gathered, chanting, "Obama, come out, we've got some sh*t to talk about!"

[Hot Topic: HIV/AIDS] 

From the HuffPo’s story:

Activists in Washington this week are demanding a handful of policy changes related to HIV/AIDS, including immediate treatment for the thousands of low-income Americans currently on waiting lists for HIV drugs, the full implementation of Obama's domestic health care reform bill, increased global AIDS relief funding and an end to free trade agreements that inflate the prices of drugs around the world by granting long-term monopolies to pharmaceutical companies…

(The administration) has opposed many of policy changes, cutting global AIDS funding under the popular PEPFAR program, while pursuing trade policies that economists say increase the prices of AIDS medications, cancer drugs and other life-saving medications both at home and abroad.

Thirteen people were arrested for putting AIDS ribbons on the White House fence and refusing to clear the streets.

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