AHF: L.A. County Medical Association Endorses Condom Ballot Measure
<0> AIDS Healthcare Foundation, AHF Dir. of CommunicationsTelephone: 323-308-1833Mobile: 323-791-5526orLos Angeles County Medical Association, Director of Government AffairsPhone: 213-226-0343 </0>
The (LACMA) this week formally endorsed , a measure appearing on the November ballot throughout Los Angeles County that when passed will LACMA’s board voted on Thursday to support the measure, formally known as the and which will appear on ballots in the November 6 presidential election as ‘Los Angeles County Measure ‘B.’
Ballot Measure B was spearheaded by and members of the advocacy group, , after at least nine HIV infections believed to be industry-related were reported in two outbreaks in Los Angeles since 2004, and amidst thousands of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) occurring annually among adult performers. The ballot measure also comes at a time when an outbreak of syphilis, a highly contagious, but curable STI, is roiling L.A.’s adult film industry and shut down the entire industry for several weeks earlier this summer.
“We are very grateful for the formal endorsement of Ballot Measure B by the Los Angeles County Medical Association,” said , president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation and one of the five named proponents of the ballot initiative. “This measure is a matter of fairness. It’s about protecting the rights of all Californians—including the actors performing in these films— to a safe and healthy workplace, which requires condom use by these performers.”
The Los Angeles County Medical Association is the first major health group to officially endorse the ballot measure itself, but they, and several other groups and associations have previously expressed support for condom use in adult films including the American Medical Association, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, American Public Health Association, American Association of STD Controllers, American Public Health Association, the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV and UCLA in calling for improved adult film worker safety and enforcement of condom use requirements in adult films.
The Los Angeles County Medical Association is a professional association representing physicians from every medical specialty and practice setting as well as medical students, interns and residents. For more than 100 years, LACMA has been at the forefront of current medicine, ensuring that its members are represented in the areas of public policy, government relations and community relations. Through its advocacy efforts in both Los Angeles County and with the statewide California Medical Association, your physician leaders and staff strive toward a common goal–that you might spend more time treating your patients and less time worrying about the challenges of managing a practice.
is the US’ largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 176,000 individuals in 27 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia Pacific Region and Eastern Europe.