For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Justin Burke - 213.201.1525 EMAIL:jburke@apla.org
AIDS Project Los Angeles Applauds Davis’ Signing of Bill Offering HIV Testing for All Pregnant Women
Failure to pass SB-774 Allowing Syringe Purchasing without Prescription Provides Opportunity for Governor-elect Schwarzenegger to Back Legislation
Los Angeles, CA, October 13, 2003 -- AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) today commended Gov. Gray Davis’ signing into law a bill that requires all pregnant women in California to be offered an HIV test. Under the provisions of the law, which was written by Assemblyman John Dutra (D-Fremont), women retain the right to refuse testing, and are guaranteed access to pre-test counseling and appropriate follow-up referrals to care and treatment.
“With this bill, it’s possible that California could almost completely prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission,” said APLA Executive Director Craig E. Thompson. “And because testing will be offered to all pregnant mothers, women will not feel they are being stigmatized or admitting to risky behaviors if they take the prenatal HIV test.”
APLA expressed deep disappointment, however, with Gov. Davis’ veto of Senate Bill 774, which would have made it legal for drug users in California to purchase syringes without a prescription.
“This bill would have saved lives,” said Thompson. “We know that giving drug users access to clean syringes reduces the spread of both HIV and Hepatitis C, without increasing drug use or crime rates.
“Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger now has an opportunity to back this legislation, and to improve public health at virtually no cost to a cash-strapped state,” Thompson added. “The minimum cost of treatment for a person infected with HIV averages about $14,000 per year.”
Some 19 percent of California’s 124,000 AIDS cases – and half of the state’s 600,000 Hepatitis C cases -- are attributable to sharing dirty needles.
The legislation, sponsored by Senator John Vasconcellos (D-San Jose), would have allowed drug users to purchase up to 30 syringes without a prescription. The bill requires pharmacies to establish syringe disposal programs and authorizes local governments to include needles in pre-existing household hazardous waste recovery programs.
The bill was overhauled in the Senate to meet objections voiced by Gov. Davis in his veto of similar legislation last year. AIDS prevention advocates, leading health associations, drug treatment providers, human rights advocates and gay and lesbian groups supported the measure, but some law enforcement officials and social conservatives maintained the bill would promote drug use. “California is now one of only five states that still require prescriptions for syringes,” Thompson said. “At a time when HIV infections may be on the rise in California and across the country, it’s just unconscionable that we’re not doing everything we can to bring those numbers down.”
AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of the nation’s largest AIDS service organizations, provides direct services to more than 10,000 men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS in Los Angeles County. Services include prevention education, food banks and nutrition education, professional dental care, housing assistance, mental health counseling, and case management. APLA is a leader in the provision of bilingual HIV treatment information, in print and on the Internet, and advocates for effective AIDS-related policies and legislation on the local, state and federal level. For more information, please visit www.apla.org.
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