The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is an example of the good possible when people of different political, ethnic and religious backgrounds set aside differences to tackle a common challenge. It is the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease, and as a result, an estimated 25 million lives have been saved.
Through partnerships with faith-based organizations, governments and local communities, PEPFAR has achieved remarkable success in preventing the spread of HIV and providing lifesaving antiretroviral therapy. These efforts have restored physical health, along with allowing individuals to regain their dignity and find hope in the midst of despair. That’s why it’s troubling that PEPFAR’s future is reportedly at risk, a potential casualty of partisan political fights over abortion.
PEPFAR is also deeply personal to me. As the president and CEO of World Relief, a global Christian humanitarian organization that empowers local churches to serve the most vulnerable, my work has always been motivated by my faith. I remember joyfully hearing President George W. Bush announce PEPFAR at the State of the Union in 2003 while I was serving as a staffer for a Republican member of Congress. I was and remain grateful for President Bush’s bold, life-affirming response to the pandemic that ravaged communities, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Evangelical Christians played a critical role in originally passing PEPFAR, motivated by their belief in the sanctity of human life and pro-life convictions. Christians understood that they could not be indifferent to children being born HIV-positive, those doomed to death for lack of access to medications or to the plight of a generation of orphans whose parents had been killed by a preventable and treatable disease.
PEPFAR’s leadership understands that faith-based partners have been “at the center of PEPFAR’s efforts since the program’s inception.” Faith-based organizations offer holistic responses and advance biblically consistent messages about abstinence before marriage and faithfulness within marriage, rooted in the belief that each human life is precious because each is made fearfully and wonderfully in the image of God.
Scripture commands us to care for the most vulnerable among us — including unborn children. PEPFAR has done just that, enabling 5.5 million babies to be born HIV-free, along with providing critical care and support for 7.1 million orphans and vulnerable children and their caregivers.
During the time I spent in Rwanda involved in World Relief’s HIV program called “Mobilizing for Life”, I witnessed firsthand the lifesaving results of PEPFAR. During my first few months, I worked with local churches that provided in-home palliative care for people living with AIDS at a time when antiretroviral therapies were not widely available. During those early years, we saw so many lives lost and so many children become orphans. Yet, through the impact of PEPFAR, we have come a long way.
As a result of PEPFAR’s access to lifesaving treatments, the prospects of people living with HIV have shifted from devastation to hope. But there is still more work to be done to end the epidemic.
In World Relief’s work, it would be unthinkable for us to ever engage in promoting abortion. This behavior would not only go against how we understand what Scripture commands, but it would also be illegal — under U.S. law and under the laws of most of the sovereign African nations where World Relief operates. Many other faith-based PEPFAR grantees also share similar convictions.
Even among PEPFAR grantees that may not share the same convictions, we’ve never seen any hint that any funds are being unlawfully used to promote abortion. Congress has established safeguards to ensure that organizations only use PEPFAR or other USAID funds for their prescribed purpose, which explicitly excludes abortion or the promotion of abortion, and all grant recipients are required to undergo training on these legal restrictions.
While some pro-life legislators are asking appropriate questions, we do not believe the Biden administration has anything to hide. Therefore, we urge the Biden administration to respond to all congressional concerns swiftly and transparently.
We also implore lawmakers and pro-life evangelicals to continue supporting this fundamental pro-life program instead of allowing unfounded allegations to disrupt a program that has preserved millions of lives. PEPFAR cannot become the latest victim of partisanship and refusal to partner across party lines.
From a Christian perspective, this program represents an unwavering commitment to the sanctity of life, responsible stewardship, collaboration, justice and empowerment. By investing in PEPFAR, we give real people — mothers, fathers, sons and daughters — a chance at life and hope. Let us unite in advocating for the reauthorization of PEPFAR and continue working towards a future where the scourge of HIV is but a distant memory.
Myal Greene is the president and CEO of World Relief.