CLEAN NEEDLE ISSUE DRAWS A DIVISION

Re: "S.D. clean-needle exchange plan hits snag" (Dec. 7):

It is disappointing that the San Diego City Council, at the urging of
Councilman George Stevens, chose to end the state of emergency and thus
attempt to prevent a clean syringe exchange program from being implemented
in the city.

Those present at the hearing last October heard the compelling testimony of
a local mom who 14 years ago adopted a daughter who today is battling
hepatitis C transmitted to her from her birth mother. I have spoken with
other local moms, who also adopted children who today are fighting
hepatitis C. One went so far as to say, "I wonder how many of the foster
children in San Diego County test positive for hepatitis C?" No one knows,
since such testing is not mandatory and the disease in many cases remains
asymptomatic for 20 years or more.

This and other evidence presented last October to the City Council clearly
demonstrated that a serious public health and safety issue exists, and
that's why a state of emergency was declared. How many new cases of
hepatitis C must occur and how many lives must be claimed before our
elected officials will acknowledge that a problem exists?

Phyllis Borchardt, American Liver Foundation San Diego

Deciding whether or not San Diego should adopt a free needle-exchange
program was relatively easy for me. I asked myself a question: If my
children were intravenous drug abusers, a habit likely to kill them either
by an overdose or violence, would I provide them with free needles in order
to protect them from HIV or other diseases? I don't believe I would.

I could never give them needles because, by doing so, I would encourage
their continued drug abuse. Nor would I insulate myself from that
responsibility by passing the task over to city and county health officials.

Al Ducheny, San Diego