I think we have forgotten that we must treat all patients and social
contacts as if they were potential HIV infected. This a catastrophic thing
folks. I am willing to be tested if everyone is tested including the
patients. As far as Mr Helms bill is concerned the punishment should also
extend to the patient who conceals the fact he/she is HIV positive.
All this is nonsense though because we just don’t know enough at the
present time. There has to be a cure out there somewhere. We in the medical
field have basically taken an oath to treat the ill and to do no harm. This
should be enough for us but unfortunatally is not in most cases. We must
support the research being done and try and end this nightmare. Then the more
responsible of us can deal with the Helms of the world as we should by voting
them out of office and into obscurity where they belong.
There has been a response by the local Medical Society to the effect that
the incidence of infection of patients by infected health care, (read MD’s
because that is what they are concerned about) is very low. However that does
not mean a damned thing to the person who is infected. Let us be realistic
and get on with it and support research so a cure can be found.
–
Uucp: …{gatech,ames,rutgers}!ncar!asuvax!stjhmc!396!35!Ken.Bopp
Internet: Ken.B…@f35.n396.z1.fidonet.org
Personally I think that the major problem of the Helms bill is that it
mandates punishment for nondisclosure of Known information. If this is
coupled to a mandatory cessation of practice for HIV+, doesn’t this
create a SEVERE disincentive to getting tested in the first place?
I know many people who agree with my position. I’m anxious to hear from
people who can understand Sen. Helms’ logic and can seriously answer this
question : What’s he thinkin’?
Ami
a…@leland.stanford.edu
a…@leland.Stanford.EDU (Amitava Biswas) writes:
> I know many people who agree with my position. I’m anxious to hear from
> people who can understand Sen. Helms’ logic and can seriously answer this
> question : What’s he thinkin’?
Helms is a prominent Hater. I don’t think it’s any more complicated than that.
In article <1991Jul23.082924.23…@leland.Stanford.EDU>, a…@leland.Stanford.EDU (Amitava Biswas) writes:
> Personally I think that the major problem of the Helms bill is that it
> mandates punishment for nondisclosure of Known information. If this is
> coupled to a mandatory cessation of practice for HIV+, doesn’t this
> create a SEVERE disincentive to getting tested in the first place?
You betcha! But dodging the test will get very hard. What happens when you
refuse the breathalyzer test? You lose your license. Of course! You’re a threat
to other drivers. What happens when you refuse an HIV test? Sorry, you can’t
treat patients anymore. Of course! You may be a threat to them. This is a
SEVERE disincentive to being a health care professional at all. Quit now; avoid
the rush later.
> I know many people who agree with my position. I’m anxious to hear from
> people who can understand Sen. Helms’ logic and can seriously answer this
> question : What’s he thinkin’?
He’s thinking he’s got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Voters are
afraid; and, like the central European Jews in 1933, health care professionals
are in no position to fight back. They believe in testing; it’s one of the
first tools they use to fight epidemic infectious diseases. They’ll go along
with testing for themselves; they’ll continue to press for more widspread
testing; they’ll lose.
> Ami
> a…@leland.stanford.edu
Victims of HIV infection argued that if their status as known they would be
subject toall sorts of discrimination. Looks like they were right.
o—————————————————————————-o
| John B. Matthews, jmatth…@desire.wright.edu, am…@cleveland.freenet.edu |
| "Now why would Mike Wallace be standing around on MY porch with a TV crew?"|
o—————————————————————————-o
All the Helms bill is going to do is further alienate doctors from
AIDS patients. No patient ever has been documented to have gotten
AIDS from a health care worker. The cases in Florida were far more
likely to have gotten AIDS from the unsterilized instruments of
the dentist. Furthermore, if the health worker chooses not to
disclose their status, by the time the patient gets AIDS, the
doctor will be long dead, so the threat of jail is a crock.
—
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Gordon Banks N3JXP | "It ain’t what you don’t know.
g…@cadre.dsl.pitt.edu | It’s what you know that ain’t so"
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