Summary Of Mandatory Aids Testing

Chase Fujita
English 22
Lamb
April 2, 2011
Mandatory AIDS Testing for Job Applicants

In her essay “Mandatory AIDS Testing for Job Applicants,” Eileen Williams says these tests will lead to discrimination in the wok place, and breaks the law because it is an invasion of privacy. “The U.S Public Health Service assures that AIDS cannot be transmitted through casual contact in the workplace, and can only be transmitted through sexual contact, the sharing of needles, or blood transfusions.”(215). AIDS is a rapidly spreading disease and a major problem in the workplace, but no one should be judged based on the fact that they have been diagnosed with AIDS. Once an employer knows that his or her employee has AIDS, problems will only occur.
Even though AIDS is spreading rapidly worldwide, employers should not have the right to test employees for AIDS because it is discrimination, and will only cause problems in the workplace.
Williams is protecting the rights of AIDS victims, and is supporting them because the victims will only be discriminated in the workplace, and may loose their job. I think she does an excellent job in convincing readers that AIDS testing in the workplace is totally unnecessary. If AIDS cannot be transmitted through daily physical contact, then people shouldn’t have to worry about it. On the other hand, if you are working in an environment where you may cut yourself on accident, then I disagree with Williams because you are putting another human being at risk. Jobs such as chefs, doctors, or dentists should be tested because you can accidentally transmit it to your customer without knowing.
Williams also mentions how discrimination may lead to insurance companies.
She quotes, “fortunately, as stated in a U.S News and World Report article, contract law forbids insurers from barring newly diagnosed AIDS patients from group health plans (215).” Even though this law may be strictly enforced, a man living in Colorado tested himself for AIDS and did not have it, and was refused based on the assumption that he may be too much of a risk. Discrimination may not only lead to the workplace or insurance companies, but may also lead to his or her personal life. If I had a friend who I knew had AIDS, I would be very cautious in sharing drinks or food with him or
her.
One thing that Williams says that is important is “employers don’t test prospective employees for other diseases that aren’t contagious through casual contact such as cancer, syphilis, and cerebral palsy, and for that matter, for diseases that are more easily contagious, such as hepatitis and pneumonia, so why should AIDS be an exception?
(216). I agree with her that AIDS is an invasion of privacy, and may only lead to problems in the workplace. Imagine if you were an employer, and you found out that your employee had AIDS, you may want to start looking for a new employee because you may fear that he or she does not have the capable skills to do productive work. Actually you are wrong, there are millions of people in the work force that have AIDS, and are just as productive or more productive at doing there given tasks. Another quote that Williams says is “AIDS victims-like everyone else-have the right to live normal lives, and as long as they are able to perform their duties, they should not be discriminated against (216). Like I said before, people with AIDS are just like you and I, who want to live their lives to the fullest. If you take away their job because they have been diagnosed with AIDS, you are just making their lifespan even shorter. Also, if you had AIDS wouldn’t you want to be treated
equally?
By reading “Mandatory AIDS Testing for Job Applicants,” I learned that AIDS cannot be transmitted through daily physical contact, and testing employees for AIDS will only cause problems. It is discrimination and an invasion of privacy. I know a few people who have AIDS, and when I am around them, I am very wary of what things I will share, but I don’t discriminate them. Before reading this essay, I never knew much about AIDS, and thought that it could be transmitted through daily physical contact. After reading this essay, Williams made me realize that people with diagnosed with AIDS are people just like you and I. They may have this terrible disease, but they are people who have the same capable skills as someone who don’t have AIDS. In conclusion, employees should not be tested for AIDS, unless it is necessary because they handle sharp objects or things that could transmit from one to another. It is discrimination and an invasion of privacy.