California governor vetoes two HIV bills

California governor Gray Davis has vetoed two HIV-related bills that would have required physicians to test all pregnant women in the state for HIV antibodies and would have allowed pharmacies to sell syringes without a prescription. Davis opposed the HIV testing bill because he said it represented "a fundamental shift from voluntary testing toward a mandatory system, which may reduce an at-risk woman's willingness to receive prenatal care." Davis vetoed the syringe-sale bill because he prefers one-on-one needle exchanges that are currently operating throughout the state. The bill would have allowed pharmacists to sell as many as 30 syringes to adults without a prescription. Supporters of the bill said it would help reduce the number of new cases of HIV and hepatitis spread through shared needles by intravenous-drug users.