The 1993 television film, "And the Band Played On" deals with politics within the scientific community in the context of the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s Our protagonist, Don Francis, is an infectious disease doctor who, after working on the 1976 Ebola outbreak, becomes involved with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) research team. The film presents the sociopolitical context of the major gay rights movements during which the pandemic developed, explores the politics within the scientific community, which was such a "hot" topic at the time, and looks at answers to ethical questions related to how much information government agencies actually transmit to the public. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Our political leader comes in the form of Bill Kraus, a gay rights activist and liaison between the gay community of San Francisco and government agencies. The main reason the film focused on San Francisco's gay communities was the bathhouse's high likelihood of infection with AIDS, as it was a common place for men to have unprotected sex with each other. Kraus had the difficult task of bringing together an outraged gay community that wants to keep its bathhouses, and the CDC's desire to end any form of contagious method in which the gay community might engage. Then there was the problem of money and finding enough interest in Washington to fund research initiatives to combat the disease. With the CDC, Kraus and his team became strong advocates for a viable solution for AIDS prevention and awareness. However, a significant factor in the failure of this effort to gain the necessary speed was the CDC's lack of knowledge and funding. Don Francis acted as an ethical entity within a highly politicized organization: there was a stigma that the disease was a "gay disease", which greatly harmed any efforts to secure the necessary funding to effectively eradicate this stigma. Information and testing have been key to advances in understanding this mysterious disease. President Reagan did not mention the word "AIDS" or its earlier names until seven years into his presidency, sending a strong message to the American people that this disease did not matter. With a mortality rate of over 50%, AIDS was the most important and needlessly underfunded disease in modern history. However, the lack of funds for government agencies has not stopped other organizations from investigating this puzzling virus. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The film establishes a clear division: the French and the Americans, with Don Francis in the middle of a scientific pissing contest. According to the film, the French were actually the first to consolidate the theory that the virus was transmissible by blood (and not by air or touch). The CDC initially began its evidence as an internal effort, but the organization did not present the results of this small study. Instead, the French and Dr. Robert Gallo (the American doctor) shared the credit for any further discoveries about AIDS after a long time. battle.