AEGiS-BAYW: GLAD opposes elimination of written consent for HIV testing in MA

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

GLAD opposes elimination of written consent for HIV testing in MA

Bay Windows - Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Hannah Clay Wareham, Staff Reporter

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) has publicly come out in opposition to a Senate bill that would eliminate the requirement for written, informed consent prior to HIV testing. Some think that by eliminating the requirement, more people would consent to being tested.

"GLAD shares with everyone in the HIV community the goal of getting more people tested and connected to medical care as early as possible. We agree that it is unacceptable that so many people with HIV are not diagnosed until they have advanced HIV disease and they have missed the critical opportunity for treatment," Bennet Klein, AIDS Law Project Director for GLAD, testified before the Joint Committee on Public Health on Oct. 6.

"Not only would this step not solve any problems, it will lead to significant unintended consequences. Written informed consent is the strongest and clearest way to ensure that testing remains truly voluntary and that people know they are being tested for HIV. If these bills pass, people will be tested for HIV without knowing it. Written informed consent has been a bedrock protection for all people at risk for HIV."
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