HIV/AIDS testing for teens
DECEMBER 1, 2013 was observed as World AIDS Day, celebrated under the theme Shared Responsibility: Strengthening Results for an AIDS-Free Generation.
In the global fight against this life threatening illness, agencies such as the National Family Planning Board (NFPB) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), have been working to help alleviate the problem by implementing a series of free HIV/AIDS-testing workshops.
Under present law, however, there is not much that can be done to help teenagers below the age of consent, who statistics show are at a heightened risk for contracting this illness.
Behaviour change communication co-ordinator at the National Family Planning Board-Sexual Reproductive Health Authority, Audi Brevett, pointed out that at various testing events when under-aged students show up hoping to get tested, the most that health workers can do is offer suggestions. This is as a result of the law prohibiting for teens under 16 to get tested or treated for HIV/AIDS without consent from parents or guardians.
Let us know what you think. Should teens under 16 be offered HIV/AIDS testing without parental consent?