Maharashtra to make HIV test compulsory before marriage

After Goa and Andhra Pradesh government’s failed attempt Maharashtra is considering to bring a new legislation recommended by a committee of legislators to make HIV test compulsory before marriage.

In a meeting held on Wednesday to discuss on the proposed recommendation, the Public Health Minister Vimal Mundada said that such law will bring awareness and thus will help to control the spread of HIV.

Mundala said that government will consider each and every aspect of the law associated with this maintaining that no one will be victimised as a result of this compulsory law.

The rumbles

India is the sleeping giant of HIV infection with highest number of HIV patient as estimated by UNAIDS. People are divided over this compulsory law. One group which is against this law says that there is a chance that an HIV + person will be ostracized from society which will create another set of socially unacceptable population, as in India people educated or uneducated there is a stigma attached with AIDS.

Also that the window period is usually a period of several weeks in which a newly infected person has not yet produced enough HIV antibodies to be detected and the time period can be anything between 3 months to 6 months, so how making this law compulsory will save in such case.

There are possibilities that the test might have got wrongly diagnosed but the damages it will inflict are many. There are several cases which has been surfaced earlier that many people knowing that they are infected committed suicide.

The word compulsory also is the matter of discussion as according to NACO no one should be forced but people should be encouraged to take the test voluntarily.

Yet another but very important aspect is that an infected person can procure HIV – certificate.

But those supporting this compulsory law have different verse to say, they believe that under such act people may restrain themselves from unhealthy sexual practices.

Women constitute 40% of the total infected person in India mainly through their partners after marriage.

A person who knows he is infected can not cheat the other person he is going to get married because of this compulsory act. Moreover it is not only the life partner but also the children had to die a slow death, so is not it the infringement of our right to live.

Every such law is full of ifs and buts, and there should be concerted effort to make such law more effective. A country where HIV + person live as a social burden after being diagnosed is a major problem across the country. Government should also invest in bringing social awareness among people and clearing the stigma related to it.

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