This week has been another interesting one of course! The QOTW really made me think, because I would never want to make another child feel uncomfortable. At the same time, I do not have any children and I do not know how protective I may be over them. I liked the question, because it could really happen in our everyday life. My HIV testing paper is just about finished and I am glad that I had this experience. I usually get my HIV test done when I go to my gyencologist, but the public health department is much more in depth. The counselor was sincere and extremely knowledgeable. She told me that is so sad how many teenagers that she has had to tell that they are HIV positive. After this experience I finally convinced my brother to go get tested! He ran out of excuses. I have put in a lot more work into this class than I thought I would have to, but I am getting more in return. I have learned a lot, so I really can't complain.
Blog Add-On
I searched and I could not find any Confidentiality Laws on HIV in India. This is interesting to me due to the fact that India has the most HIV cases in the world. A patient's right to privacy is not enforced when they are HIV positive and their spouse is at risk for contracting the disease (Lawyers Collective, 1998). Indian matrimonial laws require that couples be tested for HIV before they get married. If one if found to be HIV positive, then the hospital must disclose this information to the other person. The shocking part was that in cases when a person was tested positive they were not always the first one to find out. At times the family members of the HIV positive individual were notified first. In some cases the individual was not informed for a very long time for fear of mental stress (Deasi, 2002). In my opinion, the only impact this will have is an increase in the number of HIV positive cases. If people are unaware of their status, then of course they will spread it unknowingly! The U.S National Institutes of Health urges India not to waver in the fight against HIV (Lawyers Collective, 1998).
Did You Know?
In 2007 there were 2 million people under the age of 15 living with HIV (Avert, 2009). Not only this, but globally AIDS is the second most common cause of death among those between the ages 20 to 24 (Avert, 2009). These numbers are too high and are extremely scary. This emphasizes the need to stress prevention to adolescents and young adults. Many adolescents feel as if they cannot become infected if they are having sex for the first time. This lack of knowledge demonstrates the need for prevention education. Adolescents are afraid to get tested, because they are uncomfortable with going to a clinic and they do not want their parents to find out. Confidentiality laws are out there for a reason and adolescents should become aware of them. I wanted to focus on prevention for adolescents and young adults, because they are out there having sex and using illict drugs as well. This is s new day and whether we agree with it or not, people are becoming sexually active at a very young age. We cannot stop them, so I believe that the best thing to do is educate them about prevention.
Web: NLM Gateway. Deasi T, Garg D, Sharma R, et al. (2002). Retrieved on October 13, 2009 from, http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/MeetingAbstracts/ma?f=102253257.html
Web: Lawyer's Collective. (2009). Retrieved on October 13, 2009 from, http://www.lawyerscollective.org/hiv-aids/activities/legal-services-sc-right-to-marry
Web: Avert. (2009). 9 October 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009 from http://www.avert.org/aids-information.htm
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I thought the QOTW was very interesting also. With more and more people becoming HIV infected there is definitely a greater chance of this type of party situation happening. My GYN doctor has never offered an HIV test to me. Years ago he use to do the cholesterol test, but said he could not offer it any longer due to insurance issues. I also agree that kids are becoming sexually active at much younger ages and although they may think they are mature, they are not. The women's movement really needs to encourage women and young girls to take charge of the situation and make sure they use protection. I guess it can be difficult to do especially in some of the foreign countries where women are classified as lower in status then men.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way you do about this class. I have gotten so much more out of it then I thought. It makes me thing about HIV in a way I never saw it in before.
ReplyDeleteEven though I realize India is a very conservative country I was shocked to hear their confidentiality isn't enforced. It is crazy to hear that sometimes they aren't even the first ones to find out. I understand they a very conservative take but this is just ridiculous, it is their own body and they should be the first ones to know about their condition.
Like you guys, I've learned so much that I ever thought I would. Although I am getting tired of doing all these assignments it has its benefits. Although I don't have any kids, its not hard for me to put myself in the shoes of a parent and having to deal with a situation like this one. I wouldn't want to make a chid feel uncomfortable but it is the responsibility of the parent to keep their child safe from everything that is possible. I liked this QOTW as well because it makes me have to think like a parent and challenges what my beliefs are.
ReplyDeleteForgive me, Kiersten, but are you not paying outrageous tuition fees to learn? I don't understand why when a student takes a class they wouldn't want to learn as much as possible about the topic they are paying so dearly to take. It always amazes me that students want to find the teacher that gives out easy As with no work involved. As far as I am concerned you just flushed your hard earned money down the toilet with that class.
ReplyDeleteSo you did find something out about confidentiality. We use to require HIV testing before marriage in some states, but the cost outweighed the number of positive individuals. Most went to other states to get married and circumvent the law.
In India women don't have very many rights. They are promised from birth to marry a certain man and even though they may not love that person they will do as their parents wish. Often times the man comes home with HIV and gives it to his wife and then when she finds out she is HIV positive, he accuses her of giving it to him. She legally has no rights so 9 times out of 10 she is the one to suffer the consequences.
In the State of Florida a child aged 10 could get an HIV antibody test without parental consent if they understand what the test is all about. The reason for this is that many of the children on the streets are runaways and the state can't get ahold of their parents for permission. This allows the street population of children to be tested legally.