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Making Hiv Testing Mandatory

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Making HIV Testing Mandatory Imagine meeting your soul mate, falling in love, getting married, buying a house, having children and then finding out your soul mate is HIV positive. Would you scream, would you die from fright or would you run out and get tested? Most people would run out and get tested, praying the whole time that they would not join the millions of people already afflicted by this disease. In order to gain some control of this epidemic something must be done. Mandatory testing of HIV would allow people to know their status and decrease chances of transmission. Many people, such as lawmakers, politicians and even some doctors, do not believe that testing for HIV should be mandatory, whether it be for a marriage license, a routine physical or for life insurance. Some believe it is an infringement of their personal health privacy and that they should not be made to take the test. There is a widespread stigma surrounding HIV and HIV testing and the only way to combat it is through education (Sexualhealth.com). Many people base their knowledge of HIV on what they have heard or seen without finding out the actual facts. HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). The virus attacks the immune system, which decreases the body’s chances to fight infections. HIV cannot live outside the body for very long; therefore, it cannot be transmitted through simple activities such as, shaking hands, hugging, touching a 2 doorknob or even a toilet seat. The virus can only be transmitted through sexual intercourse or sharing needles with an infected person (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Looking back at the

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