Huckabee Pushed Quarantine of AIDS Patients in 1992

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate, Michael Huckabee, once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure, and said homosexuality could "pose a dangerous public health risk."

As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Mr. Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. Besides a quarantine, Mr. Huckabee suggested that Hollywood celebrities fund AIDS research from their own pockets, rather than federal health agencies.

"If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague," Mr. Huckabee wrote.

"It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."

The AP submitted the questionnaire to both candidates; only Mr. Huckabee responded. The incumbent, Senator Bumpers, won his fourth term; Mr. Huckabee was elected lieutenant governor the next year and became governor in 1996.

When asked about AIDS research in 1992, Mr. Huckabee complained that AIDS research received an unfair share of federal dollars when compared to cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

"In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified," Mr. Huckabee wrote. "An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor (,) Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research."

Mr. Huckabee did not return messages left with his campaign.

When Mr. Huckabee wrote his answers in 1992, it was common knowledge that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact. In late 1991, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 195,718 AIDS patients in the country and that 126,159 people had died from the syndrome.

The nation had an increased awareness of AIDS at the time because pro basketball star Magic Johnson had recently disclosed he carried the virus responsible for it. Mr. Johnson retired but returned to the NBA briefly during the 1994-95 season.

Since becoming a presidential candidate this year, Mr. Huckabee has supported increased federal funding for AIDS research through the National Institutes of Health.

"My administration will be the first to have an overarching strategy for dealing with HIV and AIDS here in the United States, with a partnership between the public and private sectors that will provide necessary financing and a realistic path toward our goals," Mr. Huckabee said in a statement posted on his campaign Web site last month.

Also in the wide-ranging questionnaire in 1992, Mr. Huckabee said, "I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk."

A Southern Baptist preacher, Mr. Huckabee has been a favorite among social conservatives for his vocal opposition to gay marriage. In 2003, Mr. Huckabee said that the U.S. Supreme Court was probably right to strike down anti-sodomy laws, but that states still should be able to restrict practices such as gay marriage or domestic partner benefits.

"What people do in the privacy of their own lives as adults is their business," Mr. Huckabee said. "If they bring it into the public square and ask me as a taxpayer to support it or to endorse it, then it becomes a matter of public discussion and discourse."