HIV testing for pregnant women: a rights-based analysis of changes in national policy

Elizabeth KingXVIII International AIDS Conference,

Vienna, AustriaJuly 22, 2010

What changes? Whose rights?

• HIV testing during pregnancy: new CDC policy, WHO/UNAIDS guidelines.

• Women may be put at risk for discrimination and violence when their HIV status becomes known.

• How are pregnant women’s rights protected under these new testing policies?

Key findings: what rights?

• Inconsistent language leads to ambiguous interpretation of “opt-out” procedures

• Less emphasis on pre-test counseling • Emphasis is on the benefits, but little

consideration of the potential risks from testing

• Consent– is it really an option? Women’s autonomy in this process? Refusal?

Implications: What comes next?

• Inclusion of training for counselors in the protocols

• Research to understand pregnant women’s perceptions of choice to test and right to decline a test

• Monitoring and evaluation, including field studies to understand how the new testing policies are implemented

Thank you

UNC research team members: Suzanne Maman, Ali Groves, Matt Pierce, and Sarah Wyckoff

This research was funded by the Law and Health Initiative of the Open Society Institute

For more information see:http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/

law/articles_publications/publications/hivtesting_20080916