Georgia Rep. Betty Price suggests ‘quarantine’ for HIV patients

Credit: Mark Wilson

Credit: Mark Wilson

Georgia Rep. Betty Price, R-Roswell, in a study committee this week, asked if the government could "quarantine" people with HIV.

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Price is married to Tom Price, who recently resigned as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Her comments came in a discussion of the spread of HIV and disparities in care within the state. The committee is dedicated to examining and addressing barriers to access to healthcare in Georgia.

“And I don’t want to say the quarantine word, but I guess I just said it,” Price said. “Is there an ability, since I would guess that public dollars are expended heavily in prophylaxis and treatment of this condition. So we have a public interest in curtailing the spread. What would you advise, or are there any methods legally that we could do that would curtail the spread?”

According to an official biography, Price was conferred her Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) at McGill University in Montreal.

“She worked for over 20 years in the medical field practicing Anesthesiology in Roswell and Marietta (Georgia),” the biography reads. “She served on the Boards of the Medical Association of Atlanta and the Medical Association of Georgia and is a past president of the American Medical Women’s Association in Atlanta.”

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. Price's statements were first reported by Project Q Atlanta.

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