When Harvard Talks...

AWEEK ago Saturday night, Congress finally decided to repeal immigration laws that barred people who had AIDS or HIV-positive blood from entering the United States. Harvard had been lobbying for the new rules to allow participants from all over the world to come to the 1992 International AIDS conference to be held at the University. In fact, Harvard had refused to host the conference until immigration laws changed.

It was a courageous stand--one that put pressure on policymakers and scientists alike to demand that the immigration policy change. And, more importantly, it was a stand that worked. Partly thanks to Harvard, the United States immigration laws are now consistent with scientific facts, not mired in paranoia.

A key lesson emerges from Harvard's victory: The administration is capable of taking ethical stands that affect change for the better. We hope that President Derek C. Bok and his successor will take this as a starting point and extend their moral outlook into other areas--ethical money management, for instance.