Page 3510 - Week 13 - Thursday, 26 November 1992
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feel that they have been exposed to the virus from coming forward? Indeed, does the health professional concerned have correct information about the partners involved? Fear is a strange phenomenon. People in real life often hide from painful truths. They can often hide dual lifestyles from partners, including intravenous drug use and bisexuality.
Perhaps in the case of the letter circulated by Dr Proudfoot medical notification would have alerted Ms Goddard earlier. But as her partner had been HIV positive since 1980, and had not informed her before the relationship began in the mid-1980s, her position would have been the same as far as her exposure to the virus was concerned. By her own admission, the relationship was over before she would have been notified of her former husband's HIV status.
I am sure that other situations exist like the one we have been made acquainted with by Dr Proudfoot. But the main aim is surely one of trying to get the most number of people who have been exposed to the virus to come forward for treatment. If the population that is now identified as being most at risk - that is, intravenous drug users and bisexual men - is to be convinced of the need to be responsible for their behaviour and come forward for testing, it must be without threat of exposure.
There are now signs that some forms of HIV can be dormant for a longer period than was first thought possible before the development of full-blown AIDS. In a perfect world, people affected would come forward without condition. However, the harsh reality is that many of these people are still unable to face the fact that their behaviour has exposed themselves and others to the virus. As I say, in a perfect world, these people would see no reason to lie about their behaviour. Their partners would be aware of their dual lifestyle, and the risks associated with their behaviour would be assessable. There would also be no discrimination against people who have been tested HIV positive.
But we are far from being a perfect society, and it will be some time before the AIDS virus can be treated like any other communicable disease. If and when a vaccine or cure is ever found to counter this virus, the community may then accept it as a disease - not a moral disease, but a medical condition - and the fear that grips those who would have been exposed may dissolve. Madam Speaker, I am sure that Mrs Carnell's moves to disallow these changes to regulations arise from concern for the health of women and partners of people diagnosed as HIV positive. However, for the reasons I have outlined, I will be opposing the motion.
MR CORNWELL (11.59): Madam Speaker, I find myself obliged to join this debate because I have heard a great deal of rubbish from the other side of this chamber. I believe that it follows the usual line, and that is that anything that impinges upon people's rights as opposed to their responsibilities in this city has to be denigrated and attacked at every opportunity. We have a situation such that we can no longer with impunity have a reasonable debate upon so many matters. I would suggest to you, Madam Speaker, that we would probably run into the same drivel about concentration camps that Mrs Grassby spoke about if we were trying to have a sensible, decent debate on matters like Aboriginals or, perhaps, Vietnamese nurses. Frankly, I am sick and tired of the approach adopted by the Labor Party and their supporters in relation to issues of this nature.
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