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Human rights activists are alarmed about an HIV testing bill recently introduced in Uganda's parliament. The measure would make HIV testing mandatory for pregnant women, their sexual partners, and the perpetrators and victims of sexual assault."If you make testing compulsory, the individual doesn't buy into the result," said Robert Ochai, executive director of the AIDS Support Organization. "For them to take action, like getting treatment for example, they have to accept the outcome of the test."
Treatment access is another big issue, Ochai said. "What are we going to do with all these people we forcibly test? We don't have the resources to support them."
The bill would require that persons convicted of sex work, drug use or possession of hypodermic needles take an HIV test as part of the criminal investigation. It would compel persons to disclose their HIV status to sex partners, and it would allow medical personnel to reveal a patient's status to others.
"The HIV/AIDS bill tramples on rights and encourages stigma and intolerance," said Joe Amon, the health and human rights director of New York City-based Human Rights Watch.
Lawmaker Beatrice Atim, who worked on the measure, defended its pregnancy-related provisions, saying, "There is no mother in Uganda who would want to infect their child if it could be stopped."
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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