from daijiworld's special correspondent

(Revised report)

Panaji, Jul 12: Church in Goa has advocated voluntary and not mandatory HIV testing before marriage.

The state government intends to bring in legislation making HIV testing mandatory before marriage to arrest spread of AIDS. Citing reports in some section of media, the church authorities have clarified that such a testing should be "voluntary and not mandatory'".

"Respecting the conscience and the freedom that every person has, the Church in Goa advocates the principle of informed consent and voluntary testing with counselling support, while it rejects any form of unethical testing practices that offend the dignity of the concerned individuals," a statement issued by Council for Social Justice and Peace, Archidiocese of Goa and Daman said.

In view of the proposed legislation, the Church in Goa consulted a number of individuals working with different organizations as well as experts in Medicine, Morals, Law and Sociology, to analyze its implications, if such legislation comes in force, the statement said.

"The Church is deeply concerned about the increasing rate of HIV infection in the country and is intensely mobilizing resources to curb its further spread," it said.

The Church authorities felt that any proposed legislation in this regard will rather stress the need for intensive preparation courses before marriage and adequate professional counselling that will lead to voluntary HIV testing by the couple preparing for marriage, it added.