State Rep. Larry McKeon, D-Chicago, has sent a letter urging fellow legislators to oppose House Bill 255, which advocates mandatory HIV testing for prisoners.
According to a release from his office, McKeon wrote that ‘ [w] hile addressing the intersection of HIV/AIDS and incarceration is crucial to stem the tide of HIV in our communities, mandated HIV testing of prisoners is not the answer to this complex problem.’ He added that ‘ [a] s a person living with HIV/AIDS, [I am] deeply concerned about the impact of HIV and AIDS on our communities, particularly the increasing incidence among people of color.’
McKeon listed reasons why the required testing of prisoners would be ineffective. Among the reasons are that mandatory testing would subject HIV-positive inmates to possible harm and discrimination; and that testing would not address the real cause of HIV transmission in correctional facilities—unprotected sex and needle sharing.