Prevention of HIV Transmittance to Babies
Last year, it was cause for celebration. The cause of celebration was for the results that several clinical trials of zidovudine cut the risk for mother to child transmission of human immune deficiency virus (HIV) by two thirds.
Although, this year, it is the basis for new federal recommendations that all pregnant women should receive HIV testing and counseling. But, these findings have been cause of protests by several activist groups. Activists fear that conservative legislators and policy makers will use the clinical data to justify mandatory testing and treatment for pregnant women.
During the latter part of February, the United States Public Health Services published guidelines for HIV pregnant women in the Federal Register. Which coincidentally was published on the same day as the National Conference in
Washington, DC for "HIV infection in women: Setting a New Agenda." The conference included activists, physicians and HIV positive women who used the meeting as a forum to voice their concerns about how best to balance women's own medical needs with those of their infants. Other concerns of activists that were voiced were that they don't want laws, policies or medical care imposed on women merely as "vectors" who may transmit HIV to their infants.
The new guidelines recommend that all pregnant women should receive HIV counseling and testing. These guidelines are aimed at helping pregnant women know their HIV status early so that medical care, including zidovudine (Retrovir, known as AZT, Burroughs Welcome Co., Research Triangle Park, NC), can be made available. The new guidelines also reiterate previous federal health advisories that say counseling should precede HIV testing. Physicians and other health professionals who counsel women should be well informed about the complex issues that face HIV infected pregnant women, according to the guidelines. This information should include about all of their reproductive options. Women should also be advised that in order to help reduce prenatal HIV transmissions
HIV infected women in the United States should not breast feed their infants.
The guidelines further states that all HIV testing should be voluntary for women and their infants. Also, all decisions about AZT use should be made by the HIV infected pregnant woman in a non coercive atmosphere...
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...say that initiative like those in Illinois and New
York are likely to crop up in more states. To counter pro-mandatory testing movements, activists have urged federal health officials to strengthen language in the guidelines before they are finalized so that the document won't be construed as supportive of mandatory testing.
Mandatory testing has been controversial since the AIDS epidemic began.
Opponents contend that is violates civil rights, results in discrimination and may drive some people away from receiving the medical care they need. Therefore, without a stronger message in support of voluntary testing the guidelines may become a way to discriminate against pregnant women who are HIV positive.
Bibliography
Rogers, Martha, Simonds, R.J.; March 15, 1996; Preventing Prenatal HIV
Infection "How Far Have We Come?"; Journal of the American Medical Association
Volume 19; Page 1514
Voelker, Rebecca; April 5, 1996; US Public Health Service Recommends Counseling and HIV Testing For All Pregnant Women; Journal of the American Medical
Association; Volume 19; page 977
Wolfe, Maxine Ph.D.; October 1, 1996; Mothers To Infant HIV Transmission 076
Update; Women Alive; page 6
us to have intersectional perspectives in order to bring to light real life gendered problems
HIV-infected women in developing countries are faced with a difficult choice. Do they breastfeed their infant and potentially transmit the disease through breastmilk, or do they use supplemental feedings of expensive synthetic formula. Many women that desire to use supplemental feedings lack the financial means or necessary equipment to be able to provide adequate nutrition. There is the distinct risk that even if they are able to use supplemental formula unclean water could expose their child gastrointestinal infections or parasites. The official recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) is that if supplemental feeding is feasible and practical by the mother, then the mother should avoid breastfeeding. If supplemental feeding is not feasible, then the child should be exclusively breastfed for at least six months. Neither choice is a one hundred percent satisfactory solution, and ongoing research continues to argue the benefits of one method of feeding versus the other.
Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience to strengthen their commitment to participate in National Women’s Law Center and American Association of University Women Organization.
...n than to men. Women are also campaigning for reproductive rights; the ability of women to make their own decisions for herself and her family regarding reproduction. Many think women should be permitted a choice of abortions and access to contraceptives all without restraint from the government. In the workplace, pay is at times not equal amid genders. Women may work the same amount and quality of work but receive less pay because of their sex. These debates will pass on until complete equality amidst genders is reached.
There is a continuing debate worldwide regarding the topic of women’s rights and equality. Some have stronger opinions than others but in the long run it is shown that women have come a long way since the Seneca Falls convention in 1848 as well as the Civil Rights Movement in the 1920’s. Since the civil rights movement, women have struggled with religious freedom, equality, schooling, voting, stating their voice in government, and family life. Over the past generations dramatic social and legal changes have been pursued to pave the way for women’s acceptance today; changes such as affirmative action, reproductive rights, abortion, and the pursuit of higher education. Generations of women have come together to help build stronger ground to address women’s rights by participating in civil rights meetings, petition drives, lobbying, public speaking and non-violent resistance acts. Women have also overcome hardships such as rejection, isolation, discrimination, and unfair treatment in the workforce. In today’s society women now have more opportunities then ever before such as invol...
This paper presents an ethical analysis of the mandatory newborn HIV testing law enacted in New York State. The law was passed as an effort to decrease maternal transmission of HIV, by treating infants born to HIV positive mothers immediately after birth with AZT. Newborn testing was promoted by the legislative and medical community following the overwhelmingly positive response from HIV infected pregnant women who were given AZT in the ACTG 076 clinical trials. Pregnant mothers who were given AZT had a markedly lower transmission rate than mothers who had not received it. This paper examines this newborn testing policy from a Utilitarian perspective to ascertain if the goals of the policy are feasible. The potential advantages, as well as the failures of using this policy are discussed. Implementations to improve the policy are also presented.
Beginning with the early nineteen hundreds, women from all over the country have bounded together, forming leagues and clubs for equal rights. However, it wasn't until today "at the dawn of the twenty-first century, states and international community can no longer refute the fact that humanity is made up of two sexes, not just one" (Oliveria 26). Why has the woman's move for equality just now started to balance itself out? Well, the answer is quite simple; women are just now being looked at as semi-equals. They are beginning to become corporate executives in businesses, and popular in the field of medicine and law. Women have tried hard to push themselves forward in society to create a balanced and harmonious economy and so far it has been successful. Barriers of all kinds have been broken, well, all except a few, mainly in politics and with the information I have collected I will show why.
Gender equality in the United States, as well as many other areas of the world, has always been lacking on the women’s perspective. The idea that men are just all around better and more deserving caught and spread like a wildfire, this idea still has not been entirely diminished.(sv,sv) With hard work and determination, women have gone against the odds and stood together to prove their capability of being equal to the men in the United States. The rights of women from the past to the present have fluctuated tremendously. All that we have gained; all that we aspire to gain; show what we are capable of.(sv;sv;sv)
The perception the public has had on the role of men and women is outdated and has been for some time, but public attitudes change slowly even in the face of overwhelming evidence. Gender plays a big part in life, it is supposed to give a purpose in life, but why? Explaining the severity of knowing why men and women are equal is one step to rebuilding society and the future. The second step is to actually make these changes happen. Gender Equality is something that every human being should strive for, as well understanding gender roles and how these two really affect our developed and developing countries. Each gender has the power to make a change for oneself and their rights, but coming together we can make an effective change for future
When HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) was first discovered as a disease in 1980, the affected individuals were stigmatized to the extreme. HIV/AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) was first reported with homosexuals and IV drug users, which led the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to label the disease as Gay-related Immune Deficiency, as “gay” individuals were synonymous “drug users” due to their similar activities in the 1980’s (Stine 22). However, it soon became clear that female population were just as susceptible to contracting HIV as males.
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Throughout history, women have fought a long, hard battle to have equal rights. Men, and even some women, all over the world believe that women do not share the same value and importance to society as men do. On September 5, 1995, Hillary Clinton spoke at the 4th World Conference on Women on behalf of women all over the world. Clinton raised awareness on how women 's rights are being violated and why it is important to recognize women 's rights as equal to everyone else’s rights. Even today, in 2016, the words Clinton in 1995 spoke still impact the world. Hillary Clinton, a powerful, credible women made the world feel emotional by explaining the mental, and physical hardships that many women face everyday, and why addressing this problem
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