Pregnancy and HIV

To the Editor: We agree with Heagarty and Abrams (March 26 issue)¹ that there is adequate scientific information to support widespread education about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with counseling and an offer of testing to all women, men, and children seeking health care in areas of high HIV seroprevalence. Unfortunately, the authors gloss over a critical point. They do not adequately distinguish voluntary programs that aggressively provide education and counseling, and require consent, from mandatory programs that deny a woman her fundamental rights. In many states, laws require informed consent for HIV testing and confidentiality of test results. These…