ACLU Claims Peace Corps Fired HIV+ Volunteer
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jeremiah Johnson, 25, of Colorado, has filed a complaint with the American Civil Liberties Union after he was terminated from the Peace Corps because of his HIV-positive status, reports the Washington Post.
"The Peace Corps does not have a policy of automatically excluding people with HIV," wrote Amanda H. Beck, the agency's press director. "The Peace Corps conducts individualized medical examinations of volunteers and applicants who are HIV-positive."
The letter continues by pointing out that the State Department, in February, had lifted a ban that prevented HIV-positive individuals from becoming Foreign Service officers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prior to the change, all HIV-positive applicants were automatically excluded from performing Foreign Service. However, it permitted people who were already employed and became infected with the virus after being hired to remain employed.
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