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Kbop'takes
`AIDS fight to
lawmakers .: :
                        ?

By Ellen Robimon4f8yner
MsClrf&ynw-s 8wvica

SACRAMENTO - U.S. Sur-
geon General 6. Everett Koop,
in an unprecedented campaign
stump against AIDS, brought his
grim message to the state capi-
tal yesterday, lobbying politi-
cians and state leaders of every
stripe.

In private sessions with state
leaders, as well as a speech to a
rare joint legislative session,
Koop sought to convince liberal
and conservative private and
public citizens that it is their
duty to stem the spread of the
virulent and fatal disease.

"It's essentially a grim mes-
sage, and I guess I'm something
of a grim courier," Koop said.
"My only hope is that every
American who hears or reads
my message will believe it and
do his or her part to stop the
spread of AIDS, to protect and
save the lives of people at risk,
including and especially our un-
suspecting young people."

commitment by Americans to
His message focused on the
need for aggressive and massive
AIDS education of the public, a
national resolve to fight discrim-
ination against AIDS patients, a
concerted effort by government
and private industry to develop
AIDS vaccines and drugs, and a

U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, Nobel laureate Dr. David
Baltimore, left, and Assemblyman Art Agnos.

observe the tcncls of safe sex to
stop the spread of the disease.

While he praised the state's
expenditure of what he called
"social and pnlilical capital" on
the issue of All).5 to date, Koop
challenged Californians to at-
tack the disease, not the people
afflicted wilh it.

"We need to give some
thought to the way we will care
for the rising toll of AIDS vic-
Ilrns." he said.

said in a later news conference
While praising Califorrrln's rc-
ccut decision to initiate AIDS cd-
ucation in the seventh grade, he

that he would prefer to see it
begin as rarly as kindcrgartrn
- a stand that ha.5 been criti-
cized by conscrvntivcs.

I)cfrntling the commltmcnt of
both Cougrcss and the Reagan
ntlminislration to the AIDS bat-
tle, Koop said hc has yet to dis-
cuss AIDS with President Rea-
gan.

"My problem in regard to
AIDS didn't begin until he re-
qwslrd CI~P report. and that was
jllst a ycnr ago." he said. "It's
unfortunate that just at this time

. . . that the prohlcn~s with Iran
came to the forefront."