TOPEKA, Kan. — A proposed bill in the Kansas state legislature could allow the quarantine of people with AIDS or HIV, according to an LGBT advocacy group in testimony before a Kansas state Senate panel on Thursday.
The measure, HB 2183, would authorize the state’s Secretary of Health and Environment the authority “to prevent the spread and dissemination of diseases injurious to the public health, including, but not limited to, providing for the testing for such diseases and the isolation and quarantine of persons afflicted with or exposed to such diseases.”
The bill’s intent is to protect the public health by controlling “infectious or contagious diseases” such as HIV.
“There is no reason why anybody with HIV or AIDS should be subject to quarantine,” said Tom Witt, executive director of the Kansas Equality Coalition, in a hearing before the Senate committee on Public Health and Welfare. “This is a civil rights issue.”
Witt told lawmakers he supported efforts to protect emergency personnel, but said one of the changes in the bill would remove a current provision that exempts those with HIV or AIDS from possible quarantine.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment officials said they want to remove that exemption because HIV and AIDS are infectious.Paul Marx, an associate chief counsel with the KDHA, said there would be no medical reason to isolate or quarantine a person infected with HIV or suffering from AIDS, but added, “I can’t say that would never happen, if the virus were to mutate.”
“KDHE is very sensitive to the concerns expressed by Mr. Witt. There is no intent, no desire to discriminate,” Marx said.
The committee took no action on the bill.
Filed under: Kansas
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How very ignorant of Kansas – but not suprising
I smell a lawsuit!! Where’s the ACLU or the SCOTUS??
there are a lot more diseases that are more easily transmitted and can be more deadly….what about those people? And the ones that choose not to vaccinate but can spread illness to others…
How stupid
Oh come on. Really?
this is the type of thing….i would have expected YEARS AGO, when it was heard of….but, NOT in the 21st century for god’s sake.
see, this would take us back to the 80s. do we really want to relive that decade?
The healthcare and public health implications would be incredible. What if people stop getting tested out of fear of the state quarantining them? HIV spreads because the infected don’t know, and HIV positive individuals lose valuable early treatment opportunities. I’m not even touching the numerous other issues with this. A+ idea there, Kansas.
can we quarantine the ignorant GOP? Seems their disease of fear, hatred and homophobia is catching with idiots in elected positions.
and the next bill would be to quarantine the black and hispanic people so all the pretty people in kansas dont start turning brown. wtf is wrong with kansas they really need a damm tornado to take em all away
I know this is a horrible time to joke, but at least you would get your own hospital room for free. XDDDD
But seriously, it is disgusting how people think up this stuff.
lol what a joke!
The world would be quarantined
Oh good lord!! I swear, some of the dumbest people on the planet live in that state! *sigh*
welcome to 1982…more gay bashing fear mongering dressed as concern for public health…from the same people who actually do not give a crap about healthcare and want to dismantle the Affordable Health Care Act the president passed. Family values my ass.
anyone else reminded of the movie “It’s In The Water” ..
Didnt this happen in Auswitz?
Stone those jerks…who votes for these dumb asses? Fire and stoping voting ignorance and religious zealots into positions where we need highly effectual and smart people! This is the real problem.
….Why do I live in such a narrow-minded right-wing state? So glad I’m moving in a month.
Say what? Stay in OZ Dorothy! Kansas isn’t worth it!
Kansas are like muslim country…..lot of dumb and retarded people:(…..
I think this kind of thing would be more appropriate in places with out of control HIV rates, low education, and little or no available medical care. Some parts of Africa come to mind. But even then, voluntary quarantine of people who *aren’t* HIV+ would be more humane.
Wow I thought I had heard it all.
sounds like another way for Kansas to appear backwards again.
What is going on!!! How about a little public health education for these people!!!!
Rachel sounds like you’re suggesting leper colonies!,!!
Kansas = Religio-Fascist Hell
Oh nol!!!!!
They want to quarantine people for the rest of their lives that’s crazy. HIV and aids aren’t an airborne virus. There is no need for a quarantine
Kansas.. where even Dorothy was persecuted for being different. Sad.
I guess they forgot that people with HIV have civil rights! What buffoons run that state.
What the heck? I am speechless.
why don’t they quarantine the individuals who came up with this? all the quarantined people can come live at my house!
And the quarantine of stupid people to add that bill to it to include yourself assholes.
I would not expect anything less from the republicans in thie state. Im glad I left
How about we quarantine rightwingers??
WTF???
That’s hideous.
UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!!
this is blatant discrimination!
Why not quarantine all the Jews, they are rich and yet vote liberal? Oh, yeah that might be a bit distasteful… stupid fucks.
Didn’t they round up Japanese people once?????? Learn a lesson ….
lets also quarantine idiots- makes as much sense
Is Kansas to be believed? Why, when the stupid party has been called out by one of its own, does Kansas continue to act with consummate stupidity?
Having moved to Kansas from California (don’t ask) this makes me very nervous. Downright Disgusted to say the least. It’s insane.
Let’s quarantine the bozos that came up with this idea
If you have any active brain cells… GET THE HELL OUT OF KANSAS. Leave the state to these inbreds. They’ll die out on their own.
are we regrssing in time??!!!!
can I slap all of this idiots to wake up their minds?
Kansas now the land of stupidity
“The committee took no action on the bill.” (the last line of the story)
Unconstitutional, Discrimination. Lawsuit coming against Kansas.
I’ve said it very recently, but I’ll say it again… It looks like we have a fresh contender for the next “Stupidest State Showdown”!
See:
http://www.real-time-with-bill-maher-blog.com/real-time-with-bill-maher-blog/2012/3/23/stupidest-state-showdown-part-duh.html
The state Supreme Court wouldn’t allow such a thing.
can’t we propose a quarantine on stupid people!
Gay bashing dressed in concern for “public health”…welcome back to 1982…shame on these men
despicable!
we should petition to quarantie christians then that is an even more deadly fatal disease than aids cancer and anything else put together
that is not surprising considering the source.
All this is going to do is make hiv or aids infected people refuse to get tested or reveal themselves to anyone and possibly infect others. then whats next force everyone to get tested or test anyone on suspicion of hiv and throw out all hippa laws
That would be worse than the leper colony.