California Proposition 64 (1986)
Encyclopedia
Proposition 64 was a proposition in the state of California
on the November 4, 1986 ballot. It was an initiative
statute that would have restored Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) to the list of communicable diseases. The measure was defeated by a margin of 71% to 29%.
Activists associated with Lyndon LaRouche
formed the "Prevent AIDS Now Initiative Committee" (PANIC) to place what became "Proposition 64" on the California state ballot. The initiative was written by Khushro Ghandhi. who was also the president of PANIC. Brian Lantz was vice-president and Ted Andromidas was treasurer
laws. The ballot argument in favor of the proposition were pathologist John Grauerholz, psychiatrist
Nancy T. Mullan, and former Centers for Disease Control advisor Gus S. Sermos. Congressman William E. Dannemeyer
was also a proponent.
Opponents characterized it as an effort to force HIV-positive individuals out of their jobs and into quarantine
. Said Helen Miramontes, R.N., president of the California Nurses Association:
The ballot argument against the measure was signed by Gladden V. Elliott, president of the California Medical Association
, Congressman Ed Zschau
, and Senator Alan Cranston
.
The submitted supporting argument included claims that AIDS could be transmitted by insects, respiratory means and casual contact. These claims were challenged in a suit by California Secretary of State March Fong Eu
, based on the argument that they had no scientific support
In 1988 the text of Proposition 64 was re-introduced in California by the "Prevent AIDS Now In California" (also PANIC) committee and appeared on the June 1988 ballot as "Proposition 69." It was also defeated.
March Fong Eu
, Secretary of State of California, notified the committee that her office had received numerous complaints of harassment by signature gatherers, including "outrageous verbal abuse for mere failure to sign petitions". She warned them that further complaints would result in legal action.
LaRouche activists accused official agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control of "criminal malfeasance" for refusing to back measures such as mandatory testing. http://www.etext.org/Politics/LaRouche/larouche.program.15
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on the November 4, 1986 ballot. It was an initiative
Initiative
In political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote...
statute that would have restored Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) to the list of communicable diseases. The measure was defeated by a margin of 71% to 29%.
Activists associated with Lyndon LaRouche
Lyndon LaRouche
Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. is an American political activist and founder of a network of political committees, parties, and publications known collectively as the LaRouche movement...
formed the "Prevent AIDS Now Initiative Committee" (PANIC) to place what became "Proposition 64" on the California state ballot. The initiative was written by Khushro Ghandhi. who was also the president of PANIC. Brian Lantz was vice-president and Ted Andromidas was treasurer
The initiative
Proponents argued that the measures would merely return AIDS to the list of communicable diseases under the public healthPublic health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
laws. The ballot argument in favor of the proposition were pathologist John Grauerholz, psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
Nancy T. Mullan, and former Centers for Disease Control advisor Gus S. Sermos. Congressman William E. Dannemeyer
William E. Dannemeyer
William Edwin Dannemeyer is a conservative American politician, activist, and author, known for his anti-gay political position. He is currently honorary national chairman of Citizens for a Better America. He served as U.S...
was also a proponent.
Opponents characterized it as an effort to force HIV-positive individuals out of their jobs and into quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
. Said Helen Miramontes, R.N., president of the California Nurses Association:
Health professionals believe that Proposition 64 would seriously hurt their ability to treat and find a cure for AIDS. Current medical efforts based on years of research will be undermined by the fear generated by this irrational proposition.
The ballot argument against the measure was signed by Gladden V. Elliott, president of the California Medical Association
California Medical Association
The California Medical Association is a professional organization representing more than 35,000 physicians in the state of California. The organization was founded in 1856 and is a member of the American Medical Association.-Audio-Digest Foundation:...
, Congressman Ed Zschau
Ed Zschau
Edwin Van Wyck Zschau represented California's 12th District in the United States House of Representatives from 1983-1987. In 1986 he ran as the Republican candidate for a seat in the United States Senate...
, and Senator Alan Cranston
Alan Cranston
Alan MacGregor Cranston was an American journalist and Democratic Senator from California.-Education:Cranston earned his high school diploma from the old Mountain View High School, where among other things, he was a track star...
.
The submitted supporting argument included claims that AIDS could be transmitted by insects, respiratory means and casual contact. These claims were challenged in a suit by California Secretary of State March Fong Eu
March Fong Eu
March Kong Fong Eu is an American politician of the Democratic Party.Fong earned a Bachelor of Science in dentistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1943 and a Master of Arts from Mills College. She earned a Ed.D...
, based on the argument that they had no scientific support
In 1988 the text of Proposition 64 was re-introduced in California by the "Prevent AIDS Now In California" (also PANIC) committee and appeared on the June 1988 ballot as "Proposition 69." It was also defeated.
Related controversies
The gathering of signatures to qualify the initiative was handled in part by a paid contractor. The fee was paid with a contribution by the Caucus Distributors Inc, a key part of the LaRouche movement. The political consultant who was hired by the LaRouche organization to collect signatures for the PANIC initiative was convicted of fraud in October 1988. The consultant, Stanley I. Dale, used out-of-state signature-collectors and claimed they were California residents.March Fong Eu
March Fong Eu
March Kong Fong Eu is an American politician of the Democratic Party.Fong earned a Bachelor of Science in dentistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1943 and a Master of Arts from Mills College. She earned a Ed.D...
, Secretary of State of California, notified the committee that her office had received numerous complaints of harassment by signature gatherers, including "outrageous verbal abuse for mere failure to sign petitions". She warned them that further complaints would result in legal action.
LaRouche activists accused official agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control of "criminal malfeasance" for refusing to back measures such as mandatory testing. http://www.etext.org/Politics/LaRouche/larouche.program.15
External links
- Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
coverage:- Medical Experts Assail Initiative on AIDS: Officials Dismiss Claims Made by Supporters of Larouche-backed Prop. 64 August 3, 1986
- Questions on Prop. 64: Clearing the Confusion October 29, 1986
- EDITORIAL: New Risk on AIDS July 15, 1987
- LaRouche media coverage:
- "The LaRouche-Bevel Program to Save the Nation" Chapter 13:LaRouche's Program for a War on AIDS
- HIV-AIDS Can Be Stopped! Executive Intelligence Review August 11, 2000 (Does not mention Prop 64, but argues for the same approach.)
- Other:
- Unclean, unclean - the plague mentality New Internationalist March 1987
- Prop 22 Causes Ballot Box Deja Vu
- The History of HIV and AIDS:Timeline PDF
- America's Hitler? Behind the California AIDS Initiative November 3, 1986 (Dennis King compares LaRouche's writings on AIDS with Hitler's on syphilis)