Treasury and Postal Appropriations Act

Members of the Senate debated an amendment to H.R. 2622, the Treasury and Postal Appropriations Act. H.R. 2622 would appropriate $19.5 billion to the U.S. Postal Service and other federal services. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Helms, would create a federal penalty for medical workers with the HIV virus involved in invasive surgical procedures who fail to inform their patient of their HIV status. Supporters of the amendment claim the rights of the patient to avoid becoming accidentally infected with the AIDS virus are of primary concern. Opponents of the amendment point to the rights of privacy of medical workers that would be violated by mandatory but unreliable AIDS testing, and want enforcement of proper sterilization and sanitary techniques to protect both doctor and patient from coming in contact with HIV infected bodily fluids. Sen. Helms illustrated the issue by citing the case of Kimberly Bergalis. close