This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Victims of sexual assaults could demand their accused attackers get tested for HIV, under a bill approved unanimously Tuesday by a House committee.
Susan Chasson, the statewide sexual assault nurse coordinator, said that sexual assault victims as a precaution typically receive a regimen of drugs to prevent HIV. The monthlong treatment can have numerous side effects.
Rep. Richard Greenwood, R-Roy, said testing alleged attackers once they have been charged could spare the victim from having to go through that regimen. Currently, only convicted attackers can be tested. In many instances, that could take a year or more.
The mother of a young woman assaulted in Utah County — who asked that her name be withheld — told the House Judiciary Committee that her daughter was left with her jaw wired shut and a tracheal tube to breathe.
"We asked if they could test the man who assaulted her," the mother testified, "and they said that wouldn't be possible until he was convicted."
Doctors had to dissolve the pills in water and try to give them to her twice a day through her nose. Because her jaw was wired shut, she couldn't take the pill if there was a chance she would vomit.
If Greenwood's HB324 passes, she said, her daughter would know if she had to go through the ordeal. The measure was unanimously approved by the committee and moves to the full House.