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Washu ID:010072 2005/10/29 05:15:12
This is a paper I have due monday and its about half done...

I TOATALLY OWNED IN THE DEBATE TODAY!! I TOOK YOU DOWN JACKIE!!!

English 1313

27 Oct 2005
Pop the question about HIV:
AIDS, the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome:
To no disease has a greater stigma nor death count been attributed. Viewed universally as a mark of behavior, carelessness, or misfortune, AIDS is the most infamous scourge released upon man since the Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death. What makes AIDS different from Alzheimer’s or cancer? It is a condition caused by HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Transmitted through bodily fluids, HIV attacks the killer-T cells that form the backbone of the immune system. By systematically destroying the cells, the virus renders its host incapable of defending itself from any disease or infection. HIV is never the cause of death, just the precursor. There are years between the date of infection and the initial manifestation of symptoms. When they occur, it is usually too late and the person infected has to begin a long process of staving off the disease with treatments until they die early or a cure is found.
But again, what makes this disease different? The manner of delivery, HIV is a sexually transmitted disease (STD); therefore, contracting it invites social stigma and demoralizes the victim. The virus is also transmitted by contact with bodily fluids, bad news for providers of first aid. Fortunately, HIV can be detected early and treated well enough to ensure a normal life. If not, the victim must endure weakness and an inability to fight off the most basic infections. Testing is already mandatory for the majority of government jobs including police officers, firefighters, and paramedics, and this program insures against contracting HIV from emergency service personnel. Who should we fear? The ones we love. Most cases of HIV are contracted by people who did not know everything about their partner. The spread of AIDS is directly linked to the level of promiscuity in society. There have been over 930,000 reported cases since 1981 and 32,000 new cases in 2003 alone (Androite par. 5). Most of those cases were people who never knew their partner had HIV. This also poses a problem for engaged couples. One solution would be to have an AIDS test as a mandatory requirement for couples applying for a marriage license. But, many oppose that idea.
One of the main oppositions to mandatory testing for couples is that it is an invasion of privacy and marriage is not under the jurisdiction of the government. Why should they know if people who want to get married have AIDS? Marriage is private. However, the very definition of marriage has been that it is a contract that is legally binding between a man and a woman. Marriage is also a public declaration of one’s intention to bind oneself to another till death part. Because it is a legal contract, like all contracts, it is subject to the laws of the government. If a marriage license requires an AIDS test and the license is required, marriage cannot be granted unless the couple consents. But this is an invasion of privacy. Why should the government know if someone has had premarital relationships that have resulted in HIV? This point is moot. The very nature of most HIV tests is that of confidentiality and even anonymity. Another argument is that waiting for a test takes too long and delays the marriage. The average waiting period for results of an HIV test is two weeks. If that is not fast enough, some clinics offer fast HIV antibody tests that take from 5 to 60 minutes for results. But testing is expensive and not everyone can afford it, right? Wrong, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, offers a free testing program for anyone as do many other hospitals. For the Nosocomephobic, Craig Medical Distribution offers a take home kit for $65.00 that allows you to take your own samples and send them to their labs. Sixty-five dollars is a small price to pay to find out if you have the most feared disease on the planet.
On testing, the

(truncated)

Wait Wait!! Here is the final edited version in two parts!.


Washu w/ ruler ID:010072 2005/11/01 05:15:46

Part One:


Washu w/ ruler ID:010072 2005/11/01 05:16:44
Pop the question about HIV:
To no disease has there been a greater stigma attached than AIDS, the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Viewed universally as a mark of behavior, carelessness, or misfortune, AIDS is the most infamous scourge released upon man since the Bubonic Plague1. What makes AIDS different from Alzheimer’s or cancer? It is a condition caused by HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Transmitted through bodily fluids, HIV attacks the killer-T cells that form the backbone of the immune system. By systematically destroying the cells, the virus renders its host incapable of defending itself from any disease or infection. HIV is never the cause of death, just the precursor. There are years between the date of infection and the initial manifestation of symptoms. When they occur, it is usually too late and the person infected has to begin a long process of staving off the disease with treatments until they die early or a cure is found.
But again, what makes this disease different? The manner of delivery, HIV is a sexually transmitted disease (STD); therefore, contracting it invites social stigma and demoralizes the victim. The virus is also transmitted by contact with bodily fluids, bad news for providers of medical services. Fortunately, HIV can be detected early and treated well enough to ensure a normal life and be prevented by use of protective equipment. If not, the victim must endure weakness and an inability to fight off the most basic infections. Testing is already mandatory for the majority of government jobs including police officers, firefighters, and paramedics, and this program insures against contracting HIV from emergency service personnel. Who should we fear then? The ones we love. Most cases of HIV are contracted by people who did not know everything about their partner. The spread of AIDS is directly linked to the level of promiscuity in society. There have been over 930,000 reported cases since 1981 and 32,000 new cases in 2003 alone (Androite par. 5). Most of those cases were people who never knew their partner had HIV. This also poses a problem for engaged couples. One solution would be to have an AIDS test as a mandatory requirement for couples applying for a marriage license. But, many oppose that idea.
One of the main oppositions to mandatory testing for couples is that it is an invasion of privacy and marriage is not under the jurisdiction of the government. Why should they know if people who want to get married have AIDS? Marriage is private. However, the very definition of marriage has been that it is a contract that is legally binding between a man and a woman. Marriage is also a public declaration of one’s intention to bind oneself to another till death part. Because it is a legal contract, like all contracts, it is subject to the laws of the government. If a marriage license requires an AIDS test and the license is required, marriage cannot be granted unless the couple consents. But this is an invasion of privacy. Why should the government know if someone has had premarital relationships that have resulted in HIV? This point is moot. The very nature of most HIV tests is confidentiality or even anonymity. Another argument is that waiting for a test takes too long and delays the marriage. The average waiting period for results of an HIV test is two weeks. If that is not fast enough, some clinics offer fast HIV antibody tests that take from 5 to 60 minutes for results. Most states require a two to three day waiting period before licensed couples can get married anyway and most licenses do not expire for 90 days. But testing is expensive and not everyone can afford it, right? Wrong, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, offers a free testing program for anyone as do many other hospitals. For the nosocomephobic2, Craig Medical Distribution offers a take home kit for $65.00 that allows you to take your own samples and send them to their labs. Sixty-five dollars is a small price to pay to find out if you have the most feared disease on the planet.

Part Two:


Washu w/ ruler ID:010072 2005/11/01 05:17:21
Marriage license application processes should have a mandatory HIV test requirement. The service providing the license either could provide a test kit for the couple or allow the couple to bring documentation from a recent, independent test. Both approaches would ensure that the couple was informed. In an interview with an anonymous counselor from Advanced Testing Center said, “The benefit of getting a test is [freedom from worrying] 3 about contracting HIV from your spouse even if they are not being entirely truthful.” When asked about possible negatives, he said, “It could be viewed as a violation of privacy, but I don’t think that’s a viable excuse.” In his opinion, “Everyone should be tested.” According to a survey of a random sample of Americans by the Kaiser Family Foundation4, about 50 percent of the participants have not been tested and 72 percent of those people do not think they are at risk. Ignorance is a dangerous condition and many couples fall under that 50 percent who have not been tested. Remember that 72 of those couples also believe that they are not at risk of HIV, and AIDS happens in America mostly to people who thought it could never happen to them. Getting the test proves, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that someone is “clean.”
Requiring a test would let a couple know if one of them has HIV and leaves them with two options. Either they separate or they decide that it is something they have to live with for the rest of their lives and that they are in it together. This is a far superior choice to the chaos of a couple finding out they have AIDS five years into their marriage. So either go ahead and pop the HIV question or let the state do it for you.

Notes
1Also known as the Black Death.
2 Having an irrational fear of hospitals.
3 Rephrased for clarity. Original words, “…not having to worry…”
4 The Kaiser Family Foundation released a survey on June 2nd, 2004 that polled 2,902 American citizens aged 18 and older. The survey found that 48 percent in 2004 say they have been tested and that the percentage of people tested has increased from 38 percent in 1997. The 50 percent that were not tested gave these reasons: 72 percent think they are not at risk, 6 percent do not know where to be tested, 2 percent are afraid they will test positive, 6 percent worry about confidentiality, and 9 percent do not like needles or giving blood. The survey also covered perceived stigma and found that: 54 percent of those tested would not be concerned about their reputation for getting a test and 17 percent were very concerned about others finding out.


Works Consulted

Anonymous Advanced Testing Center.com counselor. Telephone Interview. 27 Oct 2005

Androite, John-Manuel. “HIV/AIDS and African Americans: A ‘State of Emergency’.” March 2005. Population Reference Bureau. 27 Oct 2005. <http://www.prb.org/>HIV/AIDS>

Craig Medical Distribution. October 2005. Craig Medical, Inc. 25 Oct 2005 <http://www.craigmedical.com/order_form.htm>
Day, Lorraine, M.D. AIDS: What the Government Isn’t Telling You. Palm Desert: Rockford. 1991.

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Family Foundation Survey of Americans on HIV/AIDS: Part Two: HIV Testing. Pamphlet. 2 June 2004. Kaiser Family Foundation. 25 Oct 2005 <http://www.kff.org/hivaids/7095.cfm>

U. T. Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. October 2005. University of Texas. 27 Oct 2005 <http:/www8.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept103144/files/170619.htm>

BTW, InuYasha, if you rip off this paper I'm not gonna be your friend!


Washu w/ ruler ID:010072 2005/11/01 05:18:44
!LMAO!

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