So, now Kelantan has joined the fray, after Johor and Perlis. No, I'm not talking about politics here. It's about the implementation of the HIV Screen Tests for couples marrying in that state.

When Johor implemented the HIV Screen Test requirement, it created quite a stink. Human rights activists blared their clarions, screaming against the invasion of privacy. Nobody should be compelled to take such tests against their own will. To which, the answer by the state's Religious Department was quite simple and straightforward: we do not force you to take such tests. You do it only if you want to get married (and nobody's forcing you to get married).

Losing your life

Why the brouhaha involving such a test, you ask. Well, it didn't occur to me as well, until recently when I was preparing for my solemnization of marriage in Johor and the requirement cropped up. When I called up a friend of mine, who's a doctor at a government hospital, he cautioned me of the after-effects should the result turn out to be positive. "You would lose your medical insurance, life insurance. You could even lose your job. Or family. Basically, nobody would want to deal with you."

This kind of attitude was confirmed when I went to a Klinik Kesihatan Kerajaan the very next day. After my number was called, I went up to the counter and the attendant asked me what was wrong with me. I told him I wanted to do an HIV Screen Test. I swore I could hear his heart skip a beat. His face momentarily lost colour. He looked suspiciously at me, as if he half expected to see some AIDS-related symptom somewhere on my face. I hastily assured him that it was for the purpose of submitting to Jabatan Agama Johor for marriage purposes, and he heaved a sigh of relief.

After that I encountered more problems; they just wouldn't let me do the test unless I can get a letter from the Religious Department. It was as if they didn't want to do the test. Later, I understood that it would be an extra burden on them; if someone is tested positive, it would be an obligation for them to report the case to the Health Ministry, and thereafter they'd have to look after the patient and, inter alia, prescribe periodical medication like anti-retro viral pills.

Lucky me, I opted to call my doctor friend, and he obligingly did the test for me at a government hospital. I was lucky for that particular contact, but I couldn't help wondering what an ordinary man in the street would encounter should he want to do such a test.

Taking the test

For the uninitiated, an HIV Screen Test involves taking a sample of your blood and testing it not for HIV Virus itself, but for the enzymes produced by our own antibodies when combating the HIV Virus. Theoretically, if you were infected with the HIV Virus, then the antibodies would be present in your blood. So if you tested positive for the antibody, then chances are that you have been infected.

Most clinics would conduct what they call a Rapid HIV Test. The result would be known in approximately 20 minutes. The ELISA Test, commonly used to confirm if a Rapid Test returned a positive result, takes an agonizing fortnight for the results to come back. Then there's the more expensive Western Blot Test. Perhaps the latest is the P24 Antigen Test, which can detect even when you have just been infected. The other tests have what is called a 'window period' between three to six months, meaning they can only detect the presence of the
antibodies three to six months after a person is infected.

I'm not delving into technicalities here. For one thing, I'm not a medical doctor. For another, you can easily find all these information on the internet. It makes for good reading while you are waiting for that result to come back. I did just that and stumbled upon an old newspaper clipping. It's an article on the Johor Religious Department requirement, written about three years after the ruling was imposed.

Love conquers all

It seemed that out of the tens of thousands who applied to tie the knot in Johore, 88 couples were found to be HIV positive. Some of them were both positive, while the rest had an HIV positive partner.

They were then given counseling sessions by both the Religious Department and the Health Ministry, on the prospects of getting full blown AIDS, on medication, on what to expect. It's assuredly a private and confidential session, I suppose, if you could discount the doctor who took the test, the counselors, both your parents, and the fact that now your name is in the Health Ministry's record for their constant supervision. It's a grim situation; not the greatest way to start off a marriage.

But here's the touching part. Of the 88 couples who were found to be HIV positive thus far, only three opted out of the wedding. The rest chose to proceed, whatever the consequences. I salute their steely nerves, their true love and ultimate sacrifice. Truly, love is blind.

For more information on HIV/AIDs, contact the Malaysian AIDS Council at (03) 4045 1033.

ZAIM AL-AMIN sits on numerous MCKK Committees. A lawyer, he's settling into marital bliss. He's an incurable romantic. Contact him at zaimhq@gmail.com.