Planned Parenthood Marks World AIDS Day With Global Effort Addressing HIV Stigma

NEW YORK, NY — Today is World AIDS Day, an opportunity to show solidarity with the millions of people living with and affected by HIV worldwide. In commemoration, Planned Parenthood is launching #LetsEndStigma, an effort dedicated to addressing HIV stigma, highlighting the latest advancements in treatment and prevention, and placing youth-focused narratives and education efforts at the center of the conversation.

HIV stigma includes prejudice, negative attitudes, discrimination, and abuse directed at people living with HIV/AIDS. Stigma and discrimination are among the foremost barriers to HIV prevention, treatment, and support. As one in three people diagnosed with HIV globally are between 15 and 25 years old, raising awareness among young people and combating stigma are critical to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of ending AIDS by 2030.

Scientific innovation has greatly improved our ability to address HIV, but stigma continues to pose grave challenges to global health efforts by discouraging people from seeking HIV testing and adhering to life-saving treatment,” said Latanya Mapp Frett, executive director of Planned Parenthood Global. “HIV stigma fuels discrimination against people living with or affected by HIV, exacerbating existing structural and policy barriers to care, especially within some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.

Planned Parenthood provides compassionate care, quality education, and accurate information to young people, their families, and communities. We are committed to serving those most affected by HIV and HIV stigma. In the U.S., that includes Black and Latina women, trans women of color, young adults, and Black and Latino gay and bisexual men.

• Planned Parenthood is one of the nation’s leading HIV testing providers. In 2015, Planned Parenthood health centers provided more than 650,000 HIV tests nationwide.

• Planned Parenthood health centers provide care to 2.4 million people each year. Twenty-one percent of Planned Parenthood's patient population is Latina/o and 15 percent are Black, and nearly half of our patients are under 24 years of age.

• Twenty affiliates operating more than 230 health centers have implemented PrEP — a daily pill to prevent HIV — as part of a new grant-funded, multi-phase program to expand comprehensive HIV prevention, in partnership with Black AIDS Institute.

• Planned Parenthood Global trains peer educators in Africa and Latin America to share accurate information on HIV and sexual and reproductive health, and to distribute condoms to help empower people to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies.

• Global Mobile uses mobile technology to connect young people around the world with health information and services, giving them the power to control their bodies and their lives.

As part of our mission to help people live healthy lives, Planned Parenthood works every day in communities across the country and with partners around the world so that everyone — no matter who they are or where they live — can access accurate, high-quality, and compassionate sexual and reproductive health care and education. This World AIDS Day, we continue to encourage young people to find health care providers they trust, and to talk about HIV with their friends, families, and sexual partners.

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood affiliates serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.