(ATN) California: "No on 102" Effort Needs Funds

(ATN) California: "No on 102" Effort Needs Funds

AIDS TREATMENT NEWS No. 065 - September 23, 1988
John S. James

A right-wing AIDS initiative on California's November ballot would close anonymous testing centers, require doctors and researchers to report the names of anyone they believe to be HIV positive, and allow employers and insurance companies access to HIV test results. The legislative analyst's official estimate of the cost of implementing this initiative is tens to hundreds of millions of dollars. This destructive initiative, called Proposition 102, even has a provision prohibiting the California Legislature from amending it without resubmission to the voters -- a time-consuming process which would prevent the State from adjusting public-health policy to changing conditions.

While directly affecting only California, this initiative would impact public health everywhere by greatly impeding AIDS treatment research in California, since it would forbid researchers from keeping the names of their subjects confidential. It would also end the anonymous testing and counseling programs which have proven successful in greatly reducing the spread of the virus.

Two economics professors at the University of California at Berkeley recently estimated that other effects of this initia- tive, such as forcing the firing of over 30,000 teachers and food handlers found to be HIV positive, would cost California over three billion dollars a year in direct and indirect expenses.

The normally conservative California Medical Association (CMA) went to court in an unsuccessful attempt to keep Proposition 102 off the ballot. Many other groups such as the California Nurses Association, California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, and Health Officers Association of California officially oppose the initiative. An unusual development is that major corporations such as Levi Strauss, AT&T, and Apple Computer, which usually would not take a position on such an issue, are also opposing it. Others opposed include the California Chamber of Commerce, League of Women voters, California Taxpayers Association, California Federation of Labor, and both California Senators.

But polls show that the initiative would pass if the election were held today, because people do not understand its provisions. The measure was designed to sound reasonable to the uninformed, and the California ballot is loaded with measures. Polls show that voters reject the initiative if they know that it would ban anonymous testing, and allow employers to require HIV tests and fire or refuse to hire anyone testing positive. It will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for the media time needed to get this information to the voters before November.

If you can help in any way, with money, volunteer time, contacts, publicity, etc., contact Californians Against Proposition 102 at either 10 United Nations Plaza Suite 410, San Francisco, CA 94102, (415) 621-4450, or at 7985 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 109, West Hollywood, CA 90046, (213) 654-3757.

880923
ATN06506

Copyright © 1988 - AIDS Treatment News. Permission granted for noncommercial reproduction, provided that our address and phone number are included if more than short quotations are used. Subscription lists are kept confidential. AIDS Treatment News, Subscription and Editorial Office: 1233 Locust St., 5th floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 800/TREAT-1-2 toll-free email: aidsnews@critpath.org http://www.aidsnews.org

Subscription Information: Call 800/TREAT-1-2: Businesses, Institutions, Professionals: $270/year. Includes early delivery of an extra copy by email. Nonprofit organizations: $135/year. Includes early delivery of an extra copy by email. Individuals: $120/year, or $70 for six months. Special discount for persons with financial difficulties: $54/year, or $30 for six months. If you cannot afford a subscription, please write or call. Outside North, Central, or South America, add air mail postage: $20/year, $10 for six months. Back issues available. Fax subscriptions, bulk rates, and multiple subscriptions are available; contact our office for details. Please send U.S. funds: personal check or bank draft, international postal money order, or travelers checks. VISA, Mastercard, and purchase orders also accepted. ISSN # 1052-4207

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1988. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1988. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .