Aids and Society
The number of newborns infected by vertical transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus is increasing as the prevalence of HIV-positive women increase within the United States. It is estimated that while seven thousand HIV-positive women become pregnant each year, between one thousand and two thousand of their newborns will be HIV-positive. This research paper will concentrate on the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus from mother to child, the benefits of drugs intervention, and whether or not the HIV-screening process of pregnant women should remain voluntary or become mandatory.The HIV-virus has proven that it is not a disease to be taken lightly or ignored. I chose this topic because I want to be informed about the virus and its rate of vertical transmission so that I will be able to inform others about such ethical topics: Does the baby have rights and should a pregnant women be denied her right to privacy with respect to HIV? Data shows that AIDS is now increasing faster among females than males, with women accounting for seven percent of cases in 1985 and nineteen percent in 1995. The incidences of HIV-positive heterosexual women have risen dramatically over the pas
A major breakthrough in drug intervention began in February 1993. It should also be noted that reducing the number of HIV-positive infants has more effects than simply the potential savings in cost. This combination of the two tests, "encourages women to have the test, but for women who do not, who fall through the cracks, this protects their babies" (Kent 17). Medical groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say, "mandatory testing simply does not work for the populations most at risk (for the HIV-virus), and could undermine physicians' effort to build collaborative, trusting relationships with patients" (Shelton 15). The expected total drug costs for zidovudine per case under the AIDS Control Trials Group 076 regimen including all phases of treatment was estimated at eight hundred ninety-five dollars. While many are concerned about the costs associated with HIV testing and treatment of HIV-positive pregnant women, they fail to look at the entire picture. Testing of the baby periodically will determine whether or not the HIV antibodies present are actually produced by the baby's own immune system, or whether they were passed across the placenta from the mother's antibodies. On July 1, 1995, the Center for Disease Control released guidelines specific for HIV-screening. "Maternal transmission accounted for ninety-two percent of all new AIDS cases reported in children in 1994"(Davis15). The combination of the two testing procedures works well by accounting for the rights of the newborn child. One would not be as likely to shy away from prenatal care because it would be understood that all pregnant women receive the same opportunity for testing and treatment.
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Acceptance Essays
