Comments by Rep. Janna Taylor, R-Dayton, testifying against a bill that would abolish Montana’s death penalty are drawing rebukes from state and national public health officials and advocacy groups for people with HIV – along with a host of Montana’s liberal bloggers. Don Pogreba over at Intelligent Discontent was the first to post Taylor’s comments on Senate Bill 185, where she described HIV-positive prisoners employing “blowdarts” with their blood or saliva to kill prison guards. According to the Centers for Disease Control, HIV is not transmitted through saliva, and dies quickly in blood after being exposed to air.
At the blog of D Gregory Smith, co-chair of the Montana HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group, he posts comments by AIDs awareness groups on Taylor’s remarks.
“The comments made by the Montana Legislator really demonstrate total ignorance about how HIV is transmitted. If elected officials don’t understand the basic facts, how can we expect young people and those at greatest risk to understand them?”
— Frank J. Oldham, Jr., President, National Association of People with HIV/AIDS
Here’s the video: