Wu Chongqi, vice president of the China Hygiene Law Society, on
Tuesday called on the Chinese government to accelerate the pace of
formulating a law on HIV/AIDS control.
Building a comprehensive legal system is the key to controlling
and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS in China, Wu said during a
symposium at the ongoing 22nd Congress on Law of World in
Beijing.
China, the most populous country in the world, bears greater
responsibility than many other countries in preventing and
controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS, Wu said.
Since the mid-1990s, China has worked out over 300 laws and
adopted a series of economic, legal and administrative measures to
support the campaign against the disease, in a bid to create a
better legal environment.
A draft of HIV/AIDS prevention and control regulations, drawn up
by?the State Council, is being circulated to solicit opinions.
It outlines the principles, strategies and responsibilities of
government agencies within a legal framework.
In fighting HIV/AIDS from the legal perspective, Wu said that
legislation concerning HIV/AIDS prevention and control should seek
a balance between the protection of personal rights and the
maintenance of public health and safety.
In June, legal and health experts and government officials had a
heated debate in Shanghai on four drafts of regulations.
They had different views on whether the regulations should
emphasize the protection of personal rights or prevention and
control work; whether responsibility should be placed on those who
are HIV-positive to inform their spouses or sex partners they are
infected; and whether it is necessary to carry out compulsory
testing.
China's legislation should focus on ensuring that AIDS patients
and HIV-positive people are not discriminated against, he said.
"If the law only says how to manage AIDS patients without
protecting them, it will be very counterproductive for checking the
spread of the disease," Wu said.
World
Law Conference Program
(Xinhua News Agency September 7, 2005)