AIDS ADVOCATES FEAR CONSEQUENCES OF TEST DISCLOSURE LAW.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: HARVY LIPMAN State editor

ALBANY -- The state's plan for telling mothers the results of tests for the AIDS virus on their newborns will lead to an increase in domestic violence and child custody battles, according to AIDS activists.

Earlier this year, the Legislature enacted a law giving the state Health Department the authority to require that results of the tests, conducted on all newborns, be revealed to their mothers. Presently, the tests are done anonymously so that the state can gather statistics on the number of babies exposed to HIV, the virus which causes AIDS.

What the test actually shows is whether an infant has been exposed to …