But if a minor youth tests positive in Massachusetts, a veil of secrecy prevents parents from being told, which makes it impossible for them to get their child the medical help necessary.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) website for HIV and AIDS: Information for Young People states that these minor youth are told that neither their parents nor anyone else will be told if they test positive for the HIV infection. This is despite the fact that the present director of the MDPH HIV/AIDS Bureau, Kevin Cranston, stated in an interview for a Bay Windows article: "HIV in youth on rise -- The face of AIDS is changing in Massachusetts. It's getting younger." (Bay Windows, 7/10/03): "Young gay men are at particular risk for contracting HIV when they seek partners in the adult gay community. The higher rate of HIV infection among older gay men in Massachusetts, many of whom Cranston says are experiencing "prevention fatigue" and are less careful about practicing safer sex, puts youth at greater risk for contracting the virus when they choose adult partners."

Kurt Schwartz, assistant attorney general of the criminal division, verified to me that this kind of sexual act with a minor is statutory rape. Why does the MDPH promise this secrecy? It protects the perpetrator and violates parent/child rights.

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