New Jersey considers another stupid move

The government of my fine home state is considering requiring all pregnant women and newborn babies to be tested for HIV.

On the one hand the idea has a certain merit. HIV is bad. They have incredible drugs these days that can drastically improve lives, especially if started early. If a woman is pregnant and doesn't know she has HIV, testing may possibly change her mind about keeping the child (meaning either putting it up for adoption or abortion).

On the other hand...I really dislike the government meddling in people's medical records. Your health and medical treatment should be an issue between you and your doctor. I think that there's a gross discrepancy in our government's attitude towards healthcare as it currently is: they require certain vaccinations and preventative care for children, but there's no absolute guarantee that the children will get that. Yes, most states have clinics and offer certain options for low-income families. But whenever I read about things like this I can't shake the impression of the government basically saying 'Do this, and good luck paying for it'.