Advocating for mandatory testing of pregnant women

The best practice focuses on the proposed legislation tabled by the government of Malawi for mandatory testing of pregnant women. In Malawi, there are high prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS amongst women between the ages of 15-49 and especially 15-19. Malawian women face high poverty levels at the same time as high fertility rates, according to statistics from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). There is a great need to protect unborn children from contracting HIV from their mothers. That is why mandatory tests of expectant mothers is crucial as
they can also determine the provision of anti-retro-viral therapy, through drugs such as Nevirapine, which can help save lives of thousands of children from contracting the HIV virus. A study conducted by the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice (based in New York), in 2007 in Malawi revealed that young women between ages of 15-19 account for 75% of HIV/AIDS infections, characterised by transactional sex, thereby increasing women’s
vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

Publisher: Gender Links
Edition: 5th Edition
Year of Publication: 2008
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