Bill ‘essential’ to curb A.I.D.S.

Press, 6 July 1985, Page 8

Bill ‘essential’ to curb A.I.D.S.

By

DARRYL WALKER,

NZPA staff reporter Wellington Passing the Homosexual Law Reform Bill is essential to preventing the spread of A.1.D.5., says an Auckland virologist, Dr Paul Goldwater. “Any changes to the bill would be detrimental to the fight against A.1.D.5.,” he said yesterday. The cooperation of people suffering from A.I.D.S. and related problems was essential to contain the disease. “We need high compliance from those affected but this is unlikely under the present legislative climate,” he said. “If we treat them like criminals they will act like criminals.” An A.I.D.S. Support Network researcher, Mr Tony

Hughes, said opponents of the bill misused and misrepresented A.I.D.S. by singling out homosexuals as carriers of the disease. “People were probably better informed a year ago than they are now. Some of the claims are just lies,” he said. Dr Goldwater and Mr Hughes were speaking at a press conference called yesterday by the network to outline moves to launch a $340,000 national publicity campaign on the disease. Ms Kate Leslie, who chairs the network trust board, said the campaign would include distribution of a leaflet on A.I.D.S. to every household. Each leaflet would have a coupon which could be sent to the network requesting more information. “My belief is that most people care about them-

selves and about passing the virus on. They want to know what to do and whether they have been exposed,” she said. Dr Goldwater said the fight to prevent A.I.D.S. reaching epidemic proportions would have little impact if the bill, now before a Parliamentary select committee, was defeated. “If the bill fails I suspect the aspect of criminality would become more extreme and I would expect more prosecutions and homosexuals to withdraw into covert relationships,” Dr Goldwater said. “It can be very difficult for a bisexual male to come forward and see about practical ways of avoiding contact.” The multi-media campaign was urgently needed to impress on people that all sexually promiscuous

people, not just homosexuals, were at risk from A.1.D.5., Ms Leslie said. People would have to be more careful about who were their sexual partners. Knowledge and vigilance were needed. “All of society need to look at sexual practices over a long period of time — not just the short term. It requires a major lifestyle change and the network’s job is to alleviate anxiety about the need for those changes,” she said. The campaign would include television, newspaper, and radio advertising as well as the household leaflet. The network would finance the $60,000 first stage of the campaign, which would start in about two weeks, with newspaper and radio advertising.

The money would come from the $lOO,OOO Government grant made to the network in April, Ms Leslie said. The network plans to ask the Health Department to pay for the television advertising and leaflets out of the rest of the $2.9 million allocated by the Government for testing blood supplies, counselling, and publicity about the disease. “The Health Department has been most co-operative and helpful. It is my earnest hope that will be translated into money. I think it realises that the time to do something is now,” she said. “The household leaflet and the television campaign are important so that people will take it seriously. The newspaper and radio campaigns on their own are not sufficient.”