California IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : AIDS Test for Prostitutes Backed

A state appellate court upheld the constitutionality of a 1989 law mandating AIDS blood testing of prostitutes. The 1st District Court of Appeal rejected an effort by a San Francisco prostitute, April Love, to strike down the law as a violation of her privacy rights, an unreasonable search and a denial of her due process and equal protection rights. Love objected to giving a blood sample for the AIDS test after her conviction for prostitution. The ruling now may be used by municipalities around the state to enforce mandatory AIDS blood testing and AIDS counseling for men and women convicted of prostitution. The law requires anyone convicted of a misdemeanor prostitution violation to submit to AIDS testing. It applies equally to the customers of prostitutes.