NOW’s MANDATORY HIV TESTING RESOLUTION 9/95
WHEREAS the HIV status of a newborn cannot be accurately
established until 15-24 months after birth, therefore, the
testing of newborns effectively establishes only the HIV status
of the mother;
and WHEREAS
and WHEREAS the National Organization for Women (NOW) has held a
position against mandatory HIV testing since the 1980's, which
has been repeatedly affirmed;
and WHEREAS NOW has opposed all efforts to introduce into state
legislatures, city, county, or federal governments any bills or
ordinances whose effect would be to: limit the civil rights of
persons with HIV/AIDS, persons with HIV antibodies, or persons
in groups thought to be at higher risk of infection than the
general population, including mandatory testing, reporting and
quarantine;
and WHEREAS the many variations of mandatory testing programs
that have been proposed do not provide any necessary or useful
information and/or medical services for women and newborns that
could not otherwise be obtained voluntarily;
and WHEREAS NOW holds that women's privacy rights and choices
are as constitutionally valid as those of any other citizen,
regardless of a woman's reproductive status;
And WHEREAS 75% of newborns testing positive at birth eventually
shed the HIV antibodies and, therefore, are put in jeopardy
because their mothers are afraid to seek routine health care and
immunizations; meanwhile healthy babies are getting drugs that
the medical community has not fully tested for efficacy and side
effects;
and WHEREAS mandatory testing places women and their newborns in
an adversarial relationship with their physician(s), the medical
community, and possibly the father of the child;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that NOW reaffirm its emphasis and its
opposition to mandatory testing, including what amounts to de
facto mandatory testing of women through their newborns; and BE
IT FINALLY RESOLVED that NOW initiate a campaign through the
media and NOW chapters to educate the public and members about
the real issues and real dangers that mandatory HIV testing
poses to the civil rights of women and newborns. |
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