County mulls tougher porn regulations to stem disease. (Up Front).Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County officials are considering tougher regulations to stem sexually transmitted diseases Sexually transmitted diseases Infections that are acquired and transmitted by sexual contact. Although virtually any infection may be transmitted during intimate contact, the term sexually transmitted disease is restricted to conditions that are largely in the porn industry. The Department of Health Services Department of Health Services may refer to:
They are also considering requiring the use of condoms on all shoots in order to receive a filming permit. Some high-end production companies already require condom use but many others do not. "It's a huge industry, and it's something that we need to do something about," said Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors, who is not ruling out making condom use mandatory. "It seems to me the health department should be able to do something to provide some check on people involved in the adult industry," she said. Burke sponsored a motion adopted by the board last month requiring the health department, along with the county counsel, to determine how the industry can be regulated to stem the spread of disease, and to review the possible need for a new state law to do so. The move to regulate porn filming follows a Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Morning daily newspaper. Established in 1881, it was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis (1837–1917) under The Times-Mirror Co. (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). Magazine article that reported on the high rates of sexually transmitted disease sexually transmitted disease (STD) or venereal disease, term for infections acquired mainly through sexual contact. Five diseases were traditionally known as venereal diseases: gonorrhea, syphilis, and the less common granuloma inguinale, in the industry and how it operates virtually unregulated, aside. from some voluntary testing the industry conducts itself in cooperation with the county. Currently, the porn studios fund an organization called the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation The Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation is an organization which tests erotic actors for HIV and other STDs on a scheduled basis. In the 1980s, an outbreak of AIDS caused a number of deaths of erotic actors. , which operates a Sherman Oaks clinic that provides voluntary HIV and other testing to performers. The foundation was formed following, an industry outbreak of AIDS in 1998. Industry concerns Sharon Mitchell, an ex-porn star who founded and operates the clinic, said the foundation has been successful in stemming the spread of HIV since the outbreak because legitimate production companies require actors to show they are not HIV positive. But she acknowledged less success in eradicating other diseases because fewer actors are tested and not many production companies require wide-scale screening. Still, she questioned the wisdom of strict regulations. "If you put too much regulation on, it may drive a lot of the renegade shooters underground altogether," she said. "I was an adult entertainer for quite some time, so I think I know the demographic." The clinic conducted 7,220 HIV tests HIV test Various tests have been used to detect HIV and production of antibodies thereto; some HTs shown below are no longer actively used, but are listed for completeness and context. See HIV, Immunoblot. last year and only two tests came up positive -- for two performers who were trying to enter the industry but were prevented from doing so, Mitchell said. Fewer than 800 tests were performed each for gonorrhea and chlamydia chlamydia (kləmĭd`ēə), genus of microorganisms that cause a variety of diseases in humans and other animals. Psittacosis, or parrot fever, caused by the species Chlamydia psittaci, , with 20 testing positive for gonorrhea, and 36 testing positive for chlamydia, she said. Dr. Peter Kerndt, who manages the county's sexually transmitted disease program and is helping develop possible regulations, said performers should not be able to work unless they receive a clean bill of health a certificate from the proper authority that a ship is free from infection. See also: Clean from all sexually transmitted diseases. Kerndt said the current voluntary system has worked well to stem the spread of HIV but not as well for other diseases. Performers who test positive for diseases such as chlamydia often have been at work for a week and have had sexual contacts with two dozen or more people before the results come back, he said. Legal issues "Clearly there needs to be a whole lot more done to make it safe," said Kerndt, who also believes condoms should be made mandatory but acknowledges any such proposal has to be reviewed for its legality. "The question is how far can we take it." The county also is considering lobbying the Legislature to make any regulations statewide, out of fear any county regulation would drive the industry elsewhere. Bill Lyon, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition, an adult industry trade group, said his members, which include some of the industry's biggest companies, such as Vivid Video Inc., could live with such regulations, but favored an educational approach. "There is always a lot of new people coming into this business. They all realize the potential danger from AIDs," he said. "I would suggest that these performers need to be educated on the potential for (other) STDs so they will take it upon themselves to be tested." |
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