New Jersey Makes HIV Testing Mandatory for Pregnant Women
On December 26, the state of New Jersey enacted a law that will make HIV screening for all pregnant women in the state mandatory beginning in 2008, the Washington Post reports (washingtonpost.com, 12/28).
According to the Post, the bill requires that pregnant women be screened twice for HIV—at the beginning of the pregnancy and in the third trimester. If a mother tests positive, her newborn will be tested for HIV. Moms-to-be may opt out of the procedure, but then their newborns will automatically be tested. Exceptions will be granted only on religious grounds.
The state’s acting governor, Richard J. Codey, signed the bill at a hospital, saying that early detection is key to saving moms’ and newborns’ lives. "We can significantly reduce the number of infections to newborns and help break down the stigma associated with the disease," he said.
Four other states have mandatory testing requirements for pregnant women, and three additional states, including New York, have requirements for testing newborns.
The article also quotes AIDS activists who fear the legislation’s implications for privacy rights.
"I am adamantly opposed to this bill,” said Riki E. Jacobs, executive director of New Jersey’s Hyacinth AIDS Foundation. "I definitely think it is an invasion of privacy…the fact that we assume women won't choose to test is ludicrous and wrong."
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davidalan, DC, 2007-12-28 19:46:19
pregnancy can give a false positive reading on the hiv test. why don't politicians understand this fact?
Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
Woman of the Month is supported by exclusive advertising from Gilead.
Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I recently met a guy who is negative. I did tell him about my status and he decided to kiss me anyway (we didn't go further than that). But a day later, he called and said that he actually had a mouth ulcer that time when we kissed and he was very worried. Asked if he can get the virus from me that way. For that moment, I felt so insulted and yet I felt so bad. It was my first time having a contact with a "negative" guy."
