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Woman With AIDS Virus Sent to Prison

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A woman with the AIDS virus convicted of having unprotected sex with a boyfriend has been sent to prison for a decade. 27-year-old Angela Harris could have been sentenced to prison for life if the boyfriend had tested positive for HIV. But so far he’s negative.

Police say Harris’ mother has told them the woman had sex with as many as 100 people. Harris’ lawyer says that’s not correct. Investigators have found at least three of Harris’ partners. One has tested positive, but can’t be sure he got it from her.

Harris has known since she had a miscarriage at age 14 that she has the virus.

Abstinence Stirs Passion in the House

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Abstinence would be the emphasis of sex education courses in Missouri schools under a bill passing the House and moving to the Senate.

HCS HB 1055 actually has three components. It would allow local school boards to offer sex education courses consistent with the federal abstinence program. It would place abortion clinics under the same regulations as ambulatory surgical clinics and it would create an Alternatives to Abortion program.

All caused some passionate debate on the House floor, both when the bill was up for amendments and when it came back for final passage. The emphasis on abstinence, however, became a focal point of debate. Rep. Beth Low (D-Kansas City) says the approach is naïve and denies students the wide range of information they need to stay healthy and avoid unintended pregnancy. Rep. Cynthia Davis (R-O’Fallon), though, counters that critics haven’t portrayed abstinence programs accurately. Davis contends abstinence teaches schoolchildren more, not less. She says the abstinence programs advocated by the federal government are comprehensive.

The bill also keeps out of the classroom instructors who work for an agency that performs abortions. That section is aimed directly at Planned Parenthood, which has come under harsh criticism from supporters of the legislation. 

Number of AIDS Cases on Decline in Missouri

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The State Health Department says Missouri has seen a substantial decrease in the number of AIDS cases in the last decade. 500 were reported last year. In 1995, there were more than 900 reported. A spokesman for the Health Department says people need to be reminded it’s a disease without a cure. The St. Louis City and County Health Departments say more than 2,200 people are living with HIV and another another 2,200 have been diagnosed with AIDS. Figures show the rate of new AIDS cases in the Ksnsas City metropolitan area is about one-sixth what it was in 1989.

Saint Louis University Takes Part In Major New HIV Vaccine Study

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Saint Louis University is one of a number of insititutions around the world taking part in a study that could be an important step in the fight against AIDS. Doctor Robert Belshe, Director of the University’s Center for Vaccine Development, says about 1,500 at-risk individuals who do not currently have HIV are being sought, with as many as one-hundred of those likely to take part in the St. Louis portion of the study. Saint Louis University has been working on an HIV vaccine for 15 years, but this is the first investigational vaccine that shows great promise.

Man Charged With Knowingly Spreading AIDS Virus

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Two dozen felony charges have been filed in Kansas City against a man accused of exposing four women to the virus that leads to AIDS, and infecting a fifth one. The charges are against Festus resident Albert L. Spicer. Investigators say the incidents happened in the Kansas City area before Spicer moved to Festus. The penalty for infecting someone with AIDS is ten to thirty years in prison – the same penalty given in second-degree murder cases.

New HIV Test Promises Quick Results

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Though a new HIV test promises quick results, a St. Louis University infectious disease expert doubts it will revolutionize the battle against AIDS. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the rapid HIV test that can tell a person the likelihood that they are infected in a matter of minutes, rather than days or weeks under the old method. Dr. Donald Kennedy with the St. Louis University School of Medicine says claims that the new test will revoluntionize AIDS treatment might be overstating the case a bit. The reason for Kennedy’s caution is because anyone who is HIV positive or who has full-blown AIDS must make a commitment to treatment that can be long and difficult. He says the test will be most helpful in emergency situations when an answer is needed fast.

Chripractor Loses State License for Two Years

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A chiropractor who convinced one of his patients that he was cured of AIDS and could start a family has lost his state license to practice for two years. The State Board of Chiropractors also has put Gary Edwards of Independence on probation for five years. Edwards’ patient died of AIDS. His wife and daughter have HIV. Edwards lawyer says an appeal will be filed.

AIDS Consortium runs out of business

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The Kansas City AIDS consortium is closing after eleven years of providing experimental drug treatments to AIDS victims in the area. The consortium says new, effective, available drugs are making it harder to find people to try experimental drugs. The consortium has about 150 patients enrolled in seven drug trials. It will try to find someone else to finish those studies.