Georgia § 19-3-35 - 1. AIDS brochures; listing of HIV test sites; acknowledgment of receipt.

§ 19-3-35. 1. AIDS brochures; listing of HIV test sites; acknowledgment of receipt.

Any term used in this Code section and defined in Code Section 31-22-9.1 shall have the meaning provided for such term in Code Section 31-22-9.1. The Department of Public Health shall prepare a brochure describing AIDS, HIV, and the dangers, populations at risk, risk behaviors, and prevention measures relating thereto. That department shall also prepare a listing of sites at which confidential and anonymous HIV tests are provided without charge. That department shall further prepare a form for acknowledging that the brochures and listings have been received, as required by subsection (c) of this Code section. The brochures, listings, and forms prepared by the Department of Public Health (formerly known as the Department of Human Resources for these purposes) under this subsection shall be prepared and furnished to the office of each judge of the probate court no later than October 1, 1988. On and after October 1, 1988, each person who makes application for a marriage license shall receive from the office of the probate judge at the time of the application the AIDS brochure and listing of HIV test sites prepared and furnished pursuant to subsection (b) of this Code section. On and after October 1, 1988, no marriage license shall be issued unless both the proposed husband and the proposed wife sign a form acknowledging that both have received the brochure and listing. (Code 1981, § 19-3-35.1 , enacted by Ga. L. 1988, p. 1799, § 5; Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 1-16/HB 228; Ga. L. 2011, p. 705, § 6-3/HB 214.) Editor's notes. - Ga. L. 1988, p. 1799, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "The General Assembly finds that Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and its causative agent, including Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), pose a grave threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the people of this state. In the absence of any effective vaccination or treatment for this disease, it threatens almost certain death to all who contract it. The disease is largely transmitted through sexual contacts and intravenous drug use, not through casual contact, and, while deadly, is therefore preventable. The key component of the fight against AIDS is education. Through public education and counseling our citizens can learn how the disease is transmitted and, thus, how to protect themselves and prevent its spread. The Department of Human Resources is encouraged to continue its efforts to educate all Georgians about the disease, its causative agent, and its means of transmission. In addition, voluntary testing should be encouraged for anyone who feels at risk of infection. While education, counseling, and voluntary testing are vital to the elimination of this epidemic, other measures are needed to protect the health of our citizens, and it is the intention of the General Assembly to enact such measures in the exercise of its police powers in order to deal with AIDS and HIV infection." Law reviews. - For article on the 2011 amendment of this Code section, see 28 Ga. St. U. L. Rev. 147 (2011).