some mothers do not believe it is worth the drama if the baby may be born seronegative. Issues involving pregnancy are continually made more complicated because of opposing views on the decisions made regarding the baby’s health. Many uneducated mothers do not realize or fully understand the consequences of their decisions on the baby’s livelihood. These same mothers also feel that they, not their doctors should make those decisions because after all, it is their baby.C.ArgueBefore writing this paper I had an idea of what my feelings on the issue were, but I attempted to begin it without bias. As the paper progressed it only reaffirmed my original stance, that prenatal HIV testing should be mandatory.Women, concerned about the health of their children, will not be opposed to mandatory HIV testing and care given appropriate counseling and education. There is almost no argument that a mother ever should risk the life of her child because she believes a simple ten-minute test is slightly unjust or unfair or that she is being inconvenienced. Her child’s health should always come before things of that nature. Also, the tests are always in the best interest of the child, it is not as if they are meant to alienate or be troublesome to the mother. Furthermore, mandatory testing for AIDS identifies pregnant women who are unaware they are carrying the disease. Evidence that early detection reduces the chances for transmission are conclusive in nearly every study on the matter. Therefore women should be offered HIV-testing prior to or early in pregnancy so that they can make decisions regarding their own health as well as decisions about reproduction. Also, after an HIV test has been performed on a pregnant mother there is only a limited window of time where antiretroviral therapy will prove most effective. Bercause of this, if testing was voluntary a mother may put if off until it has already become too late to be ef...
