Re: Manatory test for pregnant women

[Guest guest]

Re: Mandatory HIV test for pregnant women

/message/10821

Sir,

The initiative of mandatory test for pregnant women by the parliamentary forum

on HIV/AIDS will create more discrimination in our society. Although the

statement by our MOS, Labour and Employment Mr. Fernandez that " passing

the disease to a new born is a human rights violation " is absolutely correct and

laudable, the mandatory test will fuel up more discrimination.

In the societal perspective in the Indian context, if the HIV is found to be

positive for a pregnant women, she shall be blamed always in most of the

instances rather than finding a truthful solution. The women will be

discriminated everywhere including her own family. She shall more likely to be

abandoned or divorced by her husband in most of the cases although the same

husband might have caused HIV/AIDS.

The people in the society will look at her, not the husband. Why not the husband

should also be tested for the same? It is the violation of her autonomy. In most

of the cases, the men have multiple sexual partners and by this way they spread

HIV/AIDS to their wives. The family or the society will not focus on this.

Only the poor women will have to face the consequences. Who will understand

their sufferings! In one way she will have to take the all pains of pregnancy

for nine months and on the other hand she will be blamed for HIV/AIDS. Is this

not the violation of rights to live of the women?

So, it is very premature to enact such kind of decision. Rather the Government

can focus on mandatory pre marital counseling and HIV testing for all the

eligible married couple so that the couple will be well aware of HIV/AIDS,

promiscuity, other behavioral factors. The panchayats should be guided by the

Govt to take initiative for mass awareness of HIV/AIDS and for pre marital

counseling and HIV testing.

Dr (Major) D J Borah

SCTIMST, Thiruvananthapuram-695011

Kerala

PH. 9495834335

e-mail: <dj_b20@...>

[Guest guest]

DEAR DR BORAH

Re: /message/10823

Well said , My submission is that HIV TESTING SHOULD NOT BE MADE

MANDATORY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD

The Human right activists for the unborn may not agree to it , it can be made

mandatory provided there is no discrimination or marginalisation or

stigmatization

As you said the poor woman takes the brunt of this disease and are most

vulnerable in the family, easily ditched by the spouse, often

discriminated by their kith and kin and to top it all marginalised by

the community itself

The man will never be blamed for the " cause " of the disease IT IS

ALWAYS THE WOMAN : She brought the disease into the relationship that is

what the world will tell, I was wondering if the MOS , ( L & E ) would

have reacted differently if he was of the 'fairer 'sex

INSTEAD OF LEGISLATION LET US EDUCATE MASSES , LET THERE BE VOLUNTARY

TESTING WITH PRE & POST COUNSELLING like how it is being recommended

Legislation may have dire consequences, when patients may go into

hiding, defeating the same purpose it was made for

Mathews

e-mail: <docmathews@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

Re: /message/10823

Thank you Dr Borah for bringing up this important issue on this forum. Just a

few thoughts as a woman, a mother and as a counsellor.

A new mother needs all the support from her family and definitely cannot support

her baby on her own. Every new mother knows it is 'hands on " learning. No book

or reading can prepare one for what really is.

Caring by older women(hopefully mother or mother in law) becomes crucial:

Issues like if the baby continues to cry an older woman explains to us what it

could be.

How does one make or change a nappy? How does one know if the infant had enough

milk? How does one know what to eat to ensure there is enough breast milk

flowing? What does one do if one develops mastitis (young women may not even

recognise it and may continue to be in pain for a long time) simple things like

seeing the baby pass dark stools soon after birth maybe disturbing if someone

does not explain this.

A new mother needs a lot of care herself and imagine if she has had a caesarian,

how much more she maybe immobilised for a few days.

Most of our women are anemic making recovery from child birth more stressful and

tiring.

While the rest of family around her maybe rejoicing at the birth of a

child(hopefully) she often has to deal with some amount of post partum

depression. Sudden feeling low is but biological, at this time recovery from

this depression directly depends on the amount of family support she gets.

A woman stands to lose all of this if she tests positive, this is a very real

possibility.

We know with gender inequality and gender discrimination new HIV infections will

continue to increase especially to women. When a woman does not have a choice

when to marry? who to marry? when to have sex? Does she want to have a baby?etc.

Is it fair to push her to test for HIV? Women are soft targets

it seems. The family planning programme in this country has targeted women for

years. Now the HIV programme also targets women.

Doesn't Human rights include women's rights and child rights?

The HIV programme in this country continues to discriminate against women in

more ways than one.

Testing for HIV in this country is voluntary except if you are a pregnant woman.

In a government hospital you are told you are going to be tested.

Testing of pregnant woman is done without her knowledge in private hospitals and

yet we do nothing about it, no action has been taken on any private hospital to

my knowledge.( maybe if there has been any please let us know) There is no

discussion of her options around testing. Informed consent is just a signature

on a piece of paper.

Men are let off easily, no questions asked.

Hardly any support is given to women in terms of how she could disclose this

information to her husband or other family members.

No discussion of the effect of single NVP dose to positive mothers during the

time of delivery is discussed. There is total silence regarding this issue.

Is it not logical that a mother needs to be alive and well to care

for her infant?

When we know that around 50% of infection happens during child birth, the HIV

programme does not consider C- Section for all pregnant positive women.

Even positive (women's) networks have not demanded this.

Couple counselling and testing will go a long way. Increasing the number of pre

test counselling sessions to make post test easier is a good option.

Giving information to women about her options if she test positive and the

support that she will get should be discussed before she tests.

Women cannot be treated less than any other citizen by testing her forcefully or

without proper discussion.

I am looking forward to further discussions, comments on these issue by the

forum members.

Thank you,

Magdalene Jeyarathnam

----

Magdalene Jeyarathnam

Director - Center For Counselling

18 Radhakrishnan Salai, 9th Street,

3rd Floor, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004

www.centerforcounselling.org

email- magdalene@...

telephone - 044- 42080810, mobile - 9884100135

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

Re: /message/10823

Positivity among ANC is many folds lesser comparing to MSM, HRG and SW.

We know that from a mother, there is only her baby that might get infected.

Because some where there seems to be a control over transmitting infection from

mother to child, these kind of decisions can be debated as 'Human rights'.

What about in other modes of transmission? Are we going to test everyone? And do

what if they are positive? When there is no control over behaviours of people,

all that one can hope for is BCC. Hold health care provider/worker responsible

if PLHA defaults the medicine than PLHA.

If knowledge can alone change one's actions, then most of the BCC should have

been successful.

Apart from all of this, It is the choice that individual makes based on their

belief system, values, experience, vulnerability and wisdom.

If we want to talk about human rights of child, we can also think about human

rights of man/woman, who got infected only because they got married to an

infected person.

Let people take decision to make testing mandatory prior to marriage first. Then

we can stop it to 2 people (Spouse & Child)for sure. Isnt it?

There are so many people opposing for mandatory testing for marriage, but how is

it fair to make it mandatory for mothers?

Regards

Madhuri

e-mail: <madhurikv_99@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear forum,

Re: /message/10835

Thank you a lot Maam Jeyarathnam.

Actually the enactment of mandatory test for pregnant women will lead to more

discrimination and social unrest.

I have seen some married women abandoned by their husbands and families. Why the

women have to face the consequences always in most of the instances?

If the Government is so decisive, they can focus on mandatory premarital

counseling although this will violate the autonomy of the individual which will

enable the young generation to take strategic decisions in married life. And by

this way many unwanted pregnancies and HIV transmission can be prevented . 

Dhruba Borah

e-mail: <dj_b20@...>