Local News in Brief : Reiner Urges AIDS Laws

Saying his office believes there are four cases in Los Angeles County where suspected child molesters have AIDS, Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner Tuesday called for tougher laws to deal with those who knowingly spread the deadly virus.

“Logic dictates that these sexual assailants should receive longer prison commitments if they know they have AIDS,” Reiner told the Presidential Commission on AIDS, meeting in Washington.

Reiner urged a closer look at confidentiality laws that prevent disclosure of the names of people with antibodies to acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Rape victims and the parents of children attacked by child molesters, he said, have a right to know if an assailant tests positive for AIDS antibodies.

Referring to Joseph Markowski, an AIDS patient who knowingly sold his blood, Reiner said the law should be changed to make such an act a clear crime. “It is ironic that in California, where we have some of the strongest laws protecting the integrity of our food, water and air, our Legislature has remained silent about the safety of our blood supply,” Reiner said.