HIV Criminalization
H.I.V. Groups Warn of Privacy Risks in How C.D.C. Tracks Virus Samples
The New York Times, February 9, 2024
The CDC revised its guidelines for tracking the genetic signatures of viruses collected from people newly diagnosed with HIV, a controversial practice called molecular surveillance used by state and local health departments to curb infections. The agency stopped short of adopting more significant changes that some advocates had pushed for, such as allowing health agencies to opt out in states where people can be prosecuted for transmitting HIV.
The New York Times, February 9, 2024
The CDC revised its guidelines for tracking the genetic signatures of viruses collected from people newly diagnosed with HIV, a controversial practice called molecular surveillance used by state and local health departments to curb infections. The agency stopped short of adopting more significant changes that some advocates had pushed for, such as allowing health agencies to opt out in states where people can be prosecuted for transmitting HIV.
“Burden of Proof.”
(POZ, January 2015)
Is criminalizing HIV ever a good idea?
The stories have all the makings of lurid crime dramas. For decades, media reports have alleged that HIV-positive men and women are deliberately seeking to transmit the virus to others. Although some of the stories are more salacious than others, they all share a common effect: They stoke the fires of stigma.
(POZ, January 2015)
Is criminalizing HIV ever a good idea?
The stories have all the makings of lurid crime dramas. For decades, media reports have alleged that HIV-positive men and women are deliberately seeking to transmit the virus to others. Although some of the stories are more salacious than others, they all share a common effect: They stoke the fires of stigma.
“Is It Murder?” (HIV Plus, January 2009)
Is HIV transmission murder if the person who becomes infected dies of AIDS-related complications?
What if the HIV-positive individual knew of his or her serostatus in advance and failed to disclose it? What if he or she lied and claimed to be HIV-negative knowing full well that it was possible to infect another? Is HIV a deadly weapon?
Those were the thorny legal and moral issues addressed this fall when an HIV-positive Canadian man was charged with murder for transmitting the virus to others. Legal experts believe the case is the first instance of a U.S. or Canadian murder trial in which HIV was the alleged weapon.
Is HIV transmission murder if the person who becomes infected dies of AIDS-related complications?
What if the HIV-positive individual knew of his or her serostatus in advance and failed to disclose it? What if he or she lied and claimed to be HIV-negative knowing full well that it was possible to infect another? Is HIV a deadly weapon?
Those were the thorny legal and moral issues addressed this fall when an HIV-positive Canadian man was charged with murder for transmitting the virus to others. Legal experts believe the case is the first instance of a U.S. or Canadian murder trial in which HIV was the alleged weapon.
- POZ, May 2017: "HIV Criminalization Laws Have Been a Failure"