Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Chicago Tribune - January 23, 2007
The test would be offered during school physicals where Illinois students typically receive tuberculosis testing and immunizations. Parents could decline the HIV test, but the bill's sponsor said the purpose of the legislation is to give more parents the choice to test their children.
State Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) said that because the student could have contracted HIV at birth, through a transfusion or through sex, it's important that parents know so the child can receive treatment.
"It's no longer a death sentence," she said. "You can live with it and not die from it, but lack of knowledge will cause you to die from it."
Flowers sponsored a bill that became law last year that requires HIV testing for newborns if their mother's HIV status is unknown.
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