Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PR Newswire; Thursday June 25, 5:13 pm EST
In March, when the argument was heard, the Foundation filed a friend-of- the-court brief explaining that people with HIV have substantial limits on their life activities, which is the definition of "disability" under the ADA. Most HIV-infected people take complicated courses of therapies, endure side effects, have major psychological stress and are limited in the ability to plan their lives. Every person with HIV faces premature mortality, or the end of all major life activities.
In the brief, the Foundation also noted that children are especially vulnerable, since the disease progresses more rapidly in children and HIV-infected children have an average life expectancy of 8-11 years.
"This a victory for children and all people with HIV," said Paul Glaser, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. "This is especially important for the Foundation because research on HIV-transmission indicates that if HIV-infected pregnant women receive AZT, the rate of transmission to their babies can be reduced by two-thirds. If the court had ruled the other way, women may have been deterred from getting tested because of fear of discrimination which would have been a serious set back for public heath. The decision today keeps science and law moving in the same direction."
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is the leading national non-profit organization dedicated to identifying, funding and conducting basic pediatric AIDS research. The Foundation's goals include reducing HIV transmission from an HIV-infected mother to her newborn, prolonging and improving the lives of children living with HIV, eliminating HIV in infected children and promoting awareness and compassion about HIV/AIDS.
SOURCE: Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
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