The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), is widely regarded as one of the most successful global health programs in history. In 20 years, PEPFAR has helped save 25 million lives from HIV/AIDS.

PEPFAR has had an especially remarkable impact on the lives of mothers and children. Through dedicated efforts to help reduce mother-to-child transmission, the program has helped ensure 5.5 million babies were born HIV-free.

As parents to two children here in the U.S., we are thankful every day that we have easy close access to healthcare. The day your child is born is one of the happiest days of your life. From there, you do everything you can to make sure your child is happy and healthy. No mother should have to worry about passing HIV on to their children.

Thanks in part to programs like PEPFAR, we have made so much progress against HIV/AIDS. But the work is far from over. PEPFAR must be reauthorized in 2023 so it can continue its life-saving work. Sen. McConnell, Sen. Paul and Congressmen Guthrie, McGarvey and Barr, please support this critically important program and move us toward a day where every family, everywhere can lead a life free from the threat of preventable disease.

JW Hines

Morgantown