Results from last week's online poll

The HIV infection rate has doubled among blacks in the United States over a decade while holding steady among whites -- stark evidence of a widening racial gap in the epidemic, government scientists said last month. Statistics from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services show similar trends in the the state. Last week's online poll asked, "Do you thnk HIV testing should be mandatory?" (350 votes)

* 64 percent: Yes

* 36 percent: No

Responses to last week's online poll include:

* "Testing should begin at birth; nobody should be exempt."

* "Maybe it would help to slow down the spread of HIV if people knew they had it early."

* "If you are taking a job in the medical field or education, I think it should be mandatory."

* "Yes and no. I believe that HIV testing should be mandatory in certain scenarios. It should be a part of blood tests used for marriage license applicants and in cases of rape, incest or crimes involving law enforcement or innocent civilians. I also think it should definitely be mandatory for all applicants for military or governmental service."

* "Clean people have nothing to hide."

* "Someone's privacy rights do not come before my rights to safety."

* "My answer yes has a caveat. If you have a job where you are in direct contact with the public, such as doctors, dentists, hairdressers, etc., then my answer is definitely yes. If you don't work in that capacity, I'm not sure why we, as a society, have the right to know if someone has HIV or not. I'm still thinking about that one."

* "Should all other diseases be up for mandatory testing? Herpes? Genital warts?"

* "I am very concerned with the intrusion of government concerning my health. I should decide what, when, how, where, etc. the tests I want my body to go through."