2 of 2

Jakubowski says HIV counseling also is beyond the scope of Care Net's ministry. "Our mission is to reach women and men in crisis pregnancies and give them alternatives to abortion," she says. "Sometimes we only get 15 minutes with a client. … It's difficult to talk about adoption, abortion, parenting, sexual issues, their relationship to Christ in 15 minutes."

She adds that while HIV testing referrals are not standard procedure and probably never will be, some pregnancy care centers already informally refer clients for HIV testing. "Any center that is seeing HIV-positive clients would have a referral system just as all of our centers have referral systems for psychiatric help if it's needed, or for other social services."

Federal health officials estimate that 1,000 to 2,000 HIV-infected babies are born in the United States each year.

Harold W. Jaffe, who directs AIDS research at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says the Public Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics are developing guidelines for testing. He hopes that when they are published they will make offering an AIDS test to pregnant women "a standard of care."

Copyright 1994 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

first page |  2 of 2

share this page

December 12 1994, Vol. 38, No. 14