Assembly Approves Two AIDS Bills : Measures Aimed at Averting Blood Supply Contamination

The Assembly on Friday approved two bills designed to reduce public fear about the risk of contracting acquired immune deficiency syndrome through blood transfusions.

The two measures, aimed at protecting the public blood supply, moved to the Senate on 59-4 and 60-1 votes, respectively.

Assembly Majority Leader Mike Roos (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblyman Art Agnos (D-San Francisco) sponsored the two-bill package.

AIDS is a rapidly spreading, deadly disease that takes away the body’s ability to fight infections and for which there is currently no cure. It is transmitted by body fluids and is most prevalent within the male homosexual community, but it also can strike heterosexuals.

The Roos-Agnos bills are designed to encourage potential AIDS victims to go to state-financed clinics rather than regular blood banks for screening tests. The state would pay the $5 million cost for the free tests.

The measures also would maintain the confidentiality of those who take the test and provide penalties for disclosure of results ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 and up to one year in jail.

The federal government in about a month is expected to order a blood test of all blood donors to detect an antibody believed to be associated with AIDS.

Some public health officials fear a test error rate of up to 30% could result in contamination of the public blood supply if homosexuals rush to blood banks for the tests.

In order to encourage those who suspect they might have AIDS to go to the free clinics, blood banks would be prohibited under terms of the legislation from giving out test results for one year while the clinics could provide results immediately.

“The federal government has given us a test without any guidelines,” said Agnos, whose district includes a large homosexual population.

“These bills implement the tests in California in the most protective way that we can provide. They also mandate confidentiality.

“Acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS as is it more commonly known, is still a terrifying mystery in our country and in the world. It is a disease that we have no way of detecting and no way of curing at the current time.”

Nationwide, about 7,800 diagnosed cases of AIDS and 3,700 fatalities have been reported. In California, there were more than 1,700 cases at the end of last year. By 1987, the state can expect to have 14,000 cases, Agnos said.