‘AIDS: Going to Extremes’

Your editorial (May 5), “AIDS: Going to Extremes,” is a good example of how mistaken lawmakers, public agencies and The Times are in their response to the AIDS epidemic.

Certain groups are using the AIDS issue to gain civil rights at the expense of public health. This must not be allowed to continue. The terrible epidemic, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, cannot and should not be treated as a civil rights issue. The health and well-being of the American public is at risk. AIDS is a public health issue and must be treated in the interest of public health, not civil rights. This can start with mandatory testing for high-risk groups and those intending marriage.

The lives of millions of people are at stake. The disease, AIDS, must be stopped now, before it can be stopped we must know who has it.

RANDY BAYNE

Pomona