Bill Requires N.Y. Doctors to Report HIV
A bill requiring New York doctors to report the names of people with AIDS or the AIDS virus was condemned Friday by activists as “a return to the dark ages” of the disease.
Under the legislation, anyone testing positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, will be reported to the state Health Department. They will be asked to volunteer the names of their sexual partners, who would be contacted about the test results.
The state Assembly passed the measure, 112-34, and the state Senate approved it in a 55-6 vote late Thursday. Republican Gov. George Pataki has indicated his support for the measure.
Some AIDS activists opposed the idea out of concern that people with the disease would feel marked and that it might dissuade people from being tested.
“The New York State Assembly seems poised to return to the dark ages of the AIDS epidemic, when ignorance, fear and discrimination surrounding the disease were rife,” said Ronald Johnson of New York City’s Gay Men’s Health Crisis, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit AIDS organizations.
Supporters contend the notification saves lives and that research shows people won’t stop seeking help.
The League of Women Voters said medical advances make such notification necessary.
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