Aids and SocietyAids and Society The number of newborns infected by vertical transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus is increasing as the prevalence of HIV-positive women in the United States increases. It is estimated that while seven thousand HIV-positive women become pregnant every year, between one thousand and two thousand newborns will be HIV-positive. This research paper will focus on the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus from mother to child, the benefits of pharmacological intervention, and the question of whether the HIV screening process of pregnant women should remain voluntary or become mandatory. The HIV virus has proven that it is not a disease to be taken lightly or ignored. I chose this topic because I want to be informed about the virus and its vertical transmission rate so that I can inform others about ethical topics such as: the child has rights and a pregnant woman should be denied the right to privacy with respect to HIV ? Data show that AIDS is increasing more rapidly among women than among men, with women accounting for 7% of cases in 1985 and 19% in 1995. The incidence of HIV-positive heterosexual women has increased dramatically in recent ten years, and AIDS is now the leading cause. third cause of death among women between twenty-five and forty-four years old. The one thing all these women have in common is that they are all of childbearing age. As a result, the incidence of HIV-positive newborns has also increased. As mentioned above, approximately seven thousand HIV-infected women give birth every year, and approximately 25% of their children are HIV-positive. “Maternal transmission accounted for 92% of all new AIDS cases reported among children in 1994” (Davis15). A major breakthrough in pharmacological intervention began in February 1993. The AIDS Clinical Trials Group conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of zidovudine, also known as AST. 475 women were enrolled in the study. These women were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group received zidovudine while the other, the control group, received a placebo. Administration of zidovudine or placebo began in the second trimester of pregnancy and continued during labor. For six weeks after birth, the babies received the same treatment as their mothers in the form of syrup. Because this was a double-blind study, neither the researchers nor the patients knew who was actually receiving zidovudine.