New Hungary Law Ends Anonymity for AIDS Sufferers

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

New Hungary Law Ends Anonymity for AIDS Sufferers

Reuters (12/23/97)
Shiels, Duncan

Abstract: Hungary has passed a new law that includes an AIDS clause stipulating that those who take HIV tests will still be entitled to anonymity, but must provide health insurance or identification information if they test positive. The new law, which was sponsored by opposition parliamentary deputy Erzsebet Pusztai, has raised fears among AIDS activists and politicians that people living with AIDS will no longer come forward. Pusztai, however, argues that the clause is driven by a desire to keep current AIDS figures low and that the information needed will be protected by a system of checks and balances that have been built into the system. Furthermore, adds Eszter Ujhelyi of the national AIDS testing service, those who test positive have the right not to produce identification for a second test and go home.

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