HIV testing before marriage should be compulsory
A religious leader in one of the churches in Kampala advised a couple intending to get married to come with HIV test results before he could wed them.
A religious leader in one of the churches in Kampala advised a couple intending to get married to come with HIV test results before he could wed them.
The couple kept on dodging until the wedding day thinking they would get away with it. But a doctor was called in to do a rapid HIV test only to discover the couple was discordant – the man was positive and the woman negative.
HIV testing before marriage has remained an initiative by the couples intending to get married and sometimes the religious institutions like in the case above. Although the ideal scenario would be to have all couples intending to get married test for HIV, there are a number of challenges:
lMost couples are stigmatised or fear to discover their status if they have already had unprotected sex.
lLack of a law or guidelines to enforce HIV testing before marriage.
lSome people want to re-marry after they have lost partners to HIV/AIDS. They take on unsuspecting partners and are very secretive about their previous relationships.
lThe authenticity of the test results. Anecdotal evidence has shown that some of the HIV test results presented by couples intending to get married are concocted. Some couples present results of tests taken many years back. Others buy results from laboratories.
From the cultural perspective, marriage is considered a privilege, a gift from God and a means to an end in life. Therefore people are afraid of losing a chance if it has come. Hence they would not want anything that might hinder them from attaining the marriage status.
The gender slant has also revealed that many young women intending to get married would want to have an HIV test but cannot suggest it to their partners. This is because of the subordinate position of women in society and the fear of being accused of promiscuity or not trusting their partners.
HIV testing before marriage is advantageous. For example, negative test results will help the couple to stay safe within their marriage while those who are positive or discordant can access treatment and preventive services such condoms, Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission drugs and ARVs.
HIV counselling and testing should be compulsory for couples intending to get married. This should include customary marriages. We need a law or guidelines to support its implementation.
The couple kept on dodging until the wedding day thinking they would get away with it. But a doctor was called in to do a rapid HIV test only to discover the couple was discordant – the man was positive and the woman negative.
HIV testing before marriage has remained an initiative by the couples intending to get married and sometimes the religious institutions like in the case above. Although the ideal scenario would be to have all couples intending to get married test for HIV, there are a number of challenges:
lMost couples are stigmatised or fear to discover their status if they have already had unprotected sex.
lLack of a law or guidelines to enforce HIV testing before marriage.
lSome people want to re-marry after they have lost partners to HIV/AIDS. They take on unsuspecting partners and are very secretive about their previous relationships.
lThe authenticity of the test results. Anecdotal evidence has shown that some of the HIV test results presented by couples intending to get married are concocted. Some couples present results of tests taken many years back. Others buy results from laboratories.
From the cultural perspective, marriage is considered a privilege, a gift from God and a means to an end in life. Therefore people are afraid of losing a chance if it has come. Hence they would not want anything that might hinder them from attaining the marriage status.
The gender slant has also revealed that many young women intending to get married would want to have an HIV test but cannot suggest it to their partners. This is because of the subordinate position of women in society and the fear of being accused of promiscuity or not trusting their partners.
HIV testing before marriage is advantageous. For example, negative test results will help the couple to stay safe within their marriage while those who are positive or discordant can access treatment and preventive services such condoms, Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission drugs and ARVs.
HIV counselling and testing should be compulsory for couples intending to get married. This should include customary marriages. We need a law or guidelines to support its implementation.