New law lets Wis. teachers force HIV tests

[jono]

MADISON, Wis. -- Gov. Jim Doyle signed first-of-its-kind legislation Friday that requires students to get tested for HIV if teachers think they were exposed to contaminated blood.

Privacy advocates say the law infringes on students' medical privacy and could lead to discrimination against gays. Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, called the law "a wild exaggeration" of HIV fears.

"It's appalling," Davies said. "My first reaction was it can play to the worst ignorance and bigotry of people."

Republican Sen. Carol Roessler introduced the bill after a student at an Oshkosh alternative school cut his hand on a window and splattered blood in a teacher's eye in 2001.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apscience_story.asp?category=1500&slug=Student%20HIV%20Tests

[AGD4y2357y]

1. Why not? <sarcasm>

Americans will let employers the government whatever extract samples from them with out question. Drug test every week at your place of work? No problem. Drug test at school? No problem. Blood test for marriage? No problem. DNA test for insurance? No problem.

Oh by the way... does anyone find it ironic that it's SO damn important that every burger flipper in the country at McDonalds be drug tested, yet the guy with his finger on the button (and who actually has a history) is ignored?

[wickerwoman]

2. Am I too tired or is the first sentence ambiguous?

Teachers can order the test if they think the student was exposed to contaminated blood or teachers can order the test if they think they themselves were exposed to the student's contaminated blood?

Either way, it's bullshit. No one else in the world is required to submit to HIV tests by their companies (except porn stars). And what are they going to do with the information when they have it? Post it in the school newspaper?

The student in this particular case should do the right thing and tell the teacher the result of their test but there is no way he or she should be legally obligated to do so.