I’m a teenager. What do I need to know about HIV/AIDS law in MA?
An HIV-positive diagnosis is scary and life-changing, but being well-educated about the disease can help to alleviate some of the fear. Tapestry Health wants to make sure teens are aware of their legal rights related to HIV/AIDS.
You don’t need permission from your parent or guardian to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV in your state. MA health providers will not tell your parents if you test positive for an STD, or that you visited the clinic.
To make sure your visit is confidential, tell the clinic staff how to contact you about test results and future appointments without your parents knowing.
Your state offers both anonymous and confidential HIV testing. This means that if you get tested for HIV, you can choose to either have your results confidentially reported to the health department using your name, or have your results anonymously reported to the health department using a number code, not your name.
To find an HIV testing site in your area, call the Centers for Disease Control’s 24-hour National AIDS Hotline at 1-800-342-AIDS (2437) or click here. Tapestry Health also provides HIV testing at all of our sites across Western Massachusetts.
