Compulsory HIV testing: Hadn't considered that

July 14, 2001 3:13 PM   Subscribe

Compulsory HIV testing: Hadn't considered that
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posted by rschram (7 comments total)
 
Oh the first to comment! The idea of complusory HIV testing has popped up in interesting places. I remember in the 80's there was a propoal to require not only an HIV test for marriage (attached to the blood tests already required) but require, by law, that if the test came back positive that the facility inform your fiance as well as yourself. The proposed law was ultimately struck down.
posted by miss-lapin at 3:27 PM on July 14, 2001 [1 favorite]


well, africa is full of moral dilemmas. i am in tanzania and heard an interesting story recently.
a charity was working in education, they were sponsoring girls to go to a school away from their homes. the admin, basically, charged the girls to get on the scheme. result:
girls had to do some prostitution as the admin had taken their living allowance. all girls are hiv+

the dilemma is that opportunities for education in africa are very limited. and it's very expensive for families to send even one child for schooling.

so should a church/charity spend it's funds on pupils who will live or those who will die?
posted by quarsan at 5:12 AM on July 15, 2001


If someone else is paying my bills, then that person has the right to attach conditions to such support. If I don't want to adhere to whatever rules the patron has in place, then I am free to move on, and the sponsor has every right to withdraw support. What's the problem?
posted by davidmsc at 10:32 AM on July 15, 2001


They say the village elder’s decision to segregate HIV positive people is unfair. So what do you think about this? This is the first story to catch my attention...
posted by rschram at 1:50 PM on July 15, 2001


If someone else is paying my bills, then that person has the right to attach conditions to such support.

even such conditions as race and ethnicity? or just medical conditions? like diabetes, or those who have a genetic predisposition for cancer?
posted by tolkhan at 2:44 PM on July 15, 2001


Diabetes and cancer are different than HIV (I am a cancer survivor and a friend of mine has diabetes). Although, like HIV, cancer and diabetes sufferers MAY die, they also MAY live. HIV sufferers may live for a long time, but at this point, they still eventually succumb to the disease. Having said that, there are other conditions that might be fatal that this school is not limiting. However HIV is one of the greatest health problems facing Africa right now.

I am also friends with a doctor who spent time in Africa battling HIV and AIDS. At one point, a local college had to close down because too many students were dying of AIDS. It seems that this school is trying to avoid that situation. Maybe not a great solution, but as a private organization they have the right to make it.
posted by miss-lapin at 6:44 PM on July 15, 2001 [1 favorite]


living "for a long time" is very relative, isn't it, in a country in which the average life expectancy is only 37 years?
posted by tolkhan at 2:10 PM on July 16, 2001


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