The Suitability of HIV-Positive Individuals for Marriage and Pregnancy

To the Editor. —  It is regrettable that in an otherwise thorough and thoughtful analysis of heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that Drs Haverkos and Edelman¹ conclude with incautiously worded comments on the future course of public debate and policy. They state that "societies may soon have to wrestle with many difficult questions, including the suitability of infected individuals for marriage and natural parenthood."The question of whether to mandate premarital screening for HIV infection has been debated in state legislatures across the nation. In virtually all cases, public health officials have argued that given the epidemiology of HIV disease, the patterns of sexual behavior in America, and the social costs of widespreadscreening, such an approach to prevention would represent a misguided effort. In Louisiana, a one-year trial of mandatory premarital screening has been ended. Whatever the justification for requiring testing so that potential marriage partners might