The Nation : Florida Governor Asks Quarantine of Some With AIDS

Florida Gov. Bob Martinez called for the quarantine of AIDS sufferers who risk infecting others. “AIDS carriers who refuse to inhibit their contacts, who refuse to stop spreading this fatal disease, should no more be allowed to roam free than criminals armed with a deadly weapon,” Martinez told a joint session of the Florida Legislature in Tallahassee. The state Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services is seeking $1.1 million to lock up about six juveniles in a state hospital in Orlando and up to 22 adults in a facility in Lantana for AIDS counseling and treatment. Legislation pending in the state House and Senate would permit confinement of AIDS sufferers who behave in ways likely to spread the disease, but only when “clear and convincing” evidence shows intensive counseling has not changed their behavior. Bob Kunst, an AIDS activist in Miami, said the $1.1 million could better be used to pay for services for AIDS patients and AIDS prevention activities.