The Battle Against AIDS

The proposed legislation by state Sen. Barry Keene (D-Benica) that would permit keeping secret from the public the cause of death in cases of AIDS and cancer (among others), supposedly to spare the family embarrassment, is even more mistaken than you indicated in your editorial “Blocking Out the Public” (May 3).

Once the story of a prominent person’s death was listed as “undisclosed,” the rumor and assumption automatically would be that he or she did indeed die as a result of AIDS. The secrecy would, in fact, insure and magnify the very attention that was hoped to be avoided. And families of those who died from other “undisclosed” illnesses would have to live with the rumors and assumptions of AIDS.

Then, too, it is largely because some prominent people have died as a result of AIDS that public awareness about that grim problem has been heightened and resulting public pressure has been brought on governmental agencies to take action. The same is true for breast cancer, where the bravery and openness of some prominent women finally brought public awareness and discussion to a productive level.

Hiding some of the truth, however unpleasant, is exactly the wrong way to win the fight against AIDS, drugs, cancer, alcohol abuse and other public problems that are also personal tragedies.

ROBERT N. WEED

Avila Beach