Should there be mandatory testing for HIV prior to marriage in India?

The Maharashtra Government proposed

to make pre-nuptial HIV test mandatory. The Andhra Pradesh government, in 2006,

proposed a bill to make pre-marriage HIV test compulsory. Goa is also following

the same path. Other states in India are not very keen on making pre-nuptial HIV test mandatory.

Here you should take it in to consideration the headline of Mumbai Mirror “Not informing about HIV+ status before marriage is NOT cheating, says court.”

You can imagine the life of woman after this scam and disease.   Most of the countries that

restrict entry based on HIV status.

Hindustan Times interviewed a few ladies who contracted the infection

from their husbands on December 8, 2017. Since they lack education, they are

ill-equipped to suggest such a test to males, they are being utilized in the

world of arrange marriage. Though educated women and those from specific

backgrounds can benefit from awareness, women from lower middle-class and

impoverished families still have little say in marriage decisions. Therefore,

these women who are in poverty will benefit from mandatory HIV testing before marriage.

It is the case in educated families as well. I have taken interview of

recently married girls who are in early 20s and very few of them have undergone

such a test. We talk a lot about women empowerment but marital rape, HIV test

before marriage are still out of our agenda and we hesitate to discuss it and

take a decision on it.

I was previously told off camera by a reputable paediatrician that I am

seeing a lot of couples with HIV in upscale neighbourhoods. The Government of

India estimates that about 2.40 million Indians are living with HIV (1.93 ‐3.04

million) with an adult prevalence of 0.31% (2009). Children (<15 yrs)

account for 3.5% of all infections, while 83% are the in-age group 15-49 years.

Of all HIV infections, 39% (930,000) are among women.

Since this illness is not common, nobody wants to jeopardise their

health. It is a horrible crime in human eyes to trap someone with it until the

death.