BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- A New Jersey bill signed into law Wednesday includes testing pregnant women for the HIV virus as a standard procedure of their prenatal care unless they object, and requires testing for newborns if the HIV status of the mother is unknown.

    The new testing procedures are some of the most aggressive HIV-prevention measures in the United States for pregnant women and newborns, making New Jersey one of just a handful of states with laws requiring some form of prenatal testing.

    The Kaiser Family Foundation, which researches health issues, said a dozen states require doctors to offer HIV tests to their pregnant patients. But only three — New York, Connecticut and Illinois — have mandatory testing for newborn babies. Four others — Michigan, Arkansas, Texas and Tennessee — have laws similar to New Jersey's policy of testing pregnant women.

    New Jersey’s new law goes into effect in six months.

    Prenatal HIV testing laws are meant to help stem the infection of newborns. If it is known that a pregnant woman is HIV positive, doctors can take steps to prevent infection like prescribing antiretroviral drugs and delivering the child through a Caesarian section.

    "Early detection is the key," Senator Loretta Weinberg, a Democrat from Bergen County who sponsored the bill, said in a statement. "This measure is a huge step forward in terms of protecting all babies while helping to educate mothers."

    Under the law, women will be tested early in their pregnancies and again in their third trimesters unless they refuse. If a woman refuses, it will be noted, and an HIV test will be performed on the newborn unless the mother has religious objections.

    (Agencies)