Mandatory HIV antibody testing policies: an ethical analysis.

: Widespread mandatory testing for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been proposed by some as a way to curb the transmission of the virus. O'Brien examines the possible uses and limits of HIV testing to determine in what instances the potential public health benefits of testing outweigh its burdens and limitations. She subjects proposals for mandatory testing of three populations -- hospital patients, surgery patients, and prisoners -- to ethical analysis, and then formulates ethical guidelines for rational and morally defensible HIV antibody testing policies in hospital and prison settings.