Compulsory HIV testing for both mother and child to fight AIDS

New Jersey may be the first state in the United States to require mandatory HIV testing for both pregnant women and newborns according to a proposal by Governor Richard J. Codey.

Accordingly, all pregnant women will be tested for HIV twice, once in the early stages of pregnancy and once in the third trimester of pregnancy. All state breeding establishments must test HIV for all newborns.

'The key to fighting HIV and AIDS is early detection and treatment,' Codey said. 'For newborns, this can help extend their lives.' He cited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that detection and treatment during pregnancy can significantly reduce the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child.

Children form an iconic ribbon of AIDS in Gauhati, India on May 7 (Photo: AP)

However, Washington's Women's Policy Research Center opposes compulsory HIV testing, saying that this violates the rights of women to the children they are heavy and the right to decide cure.

Current New Jersey law only requires health facilities to recommend HIV testing for pregnant women, not for them.

According to the Kaiser Foundation, a nonprofit research organization focused on health care issues in the United States, other states in the country like Arkansas, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas also only require medical facilities to test HIV for mothers if they do not object; and HIV testing for newborns, currently only two states of Connecticut and New York.

New Jersey is currently one of the states with the highest rates of HIV and AIDS in women and children.

T.VY