Today in class we talked about HIV and STIs. Something that has always been a topic of interest is criminal transmission of HIV(should people be prosecuted if they knowingly transmit HIV). There are two different sides to the debate, for and against criminalization. What do you guys think? There are of course situations where people do not know they have HIV and spread it unintentionally, but what about a person who knows they are infected yet do not tell their partner before intercourse. It is frightening that there even has to be this debate. There are people out there who do not think it is important to be honest with their partners and let them know if they are at risk.
In November of 2004 a German man had a goal to infect 100 Thai women with HIV, including his wife, he was caught but since Thailand has no laws about HIV he got minimal punishment. 2 months in jail for overstaying his visa, that's it. It is really strange that instead of people treating HIV like a disease/infection, they are using it as a weapon.
This website has different court cases pertaining to HIV and has a chart comparing the two sides of the debate, criminalized and against criminalized.
Maggie Anderson
Wow! I cannot believe someone would do that, that is disturbing and sad. I see both sides of the argument. On one hand it would be hard to distiguish who intionally spread HIV and who just did not know they had it, so that would be the down side. But on the other hand, I do think that if someone intionally spread HIV the should be considered a criminal.
ReplyDeleteElaina Stansberry
Chasidy Allen Says:
ReplyDeleteIt is sad that people will go to such extreme levels to hurt other people. A while back there was this guy on youtube who admitted to spreading the disease to women. He named off almost 100+ women. It made me sick to my stomach. I do believe that people who go around doing that intentionally should be given life in prison.
But this is a good reason as to why we shouldn't have unprotected sex. There are so many things out there and you can never be 100% sure. People will lie to you just to get what they want. It is not safe to trust everyone. When in doubt go get tested with them.
ASHLEE REECE:
ReplyDeleteI was unaware of the criminal transmission of HIV issue in the world and in the U.S. As far as the debate goes, unless someone admits that they knowingly gave someone HIV, we can't assume that they did it intentionally. The other two categories are fair, but it is a touchy topic.
The story about the man that lived in Thai was some what shocking. That's when U looked up what the U.S policy was on this matter and found that 36 out of 50 American states will prosecute someone for the criminal transmission of HIV. HIV as a weapon is an interesting subject as well. At first I didn't believe that people could be prosecuted for using this as a weapon b/c I never thought about it like that, but there are people in this world that are self righteous.
I do agree that someone who knowingly spreads HIV should be considered a "criminal." That is as hurtful to a person's life as other crimes. However, I think that would be hard to convict. Maybe instead of targeting HIV specifically, there could be stricter laws against sexual violence and be a stronger emphasis on sexuality and respect.
ReplyDeleteHIV is an uncomfortable topic for a lot of people. A lot of people do not know about it or feel comfortable talking about it. I think criminalizing people for spreading it is making it even more of a topic that people will not talk about. I think there should be encouragement to get tested and education about what it is. There are people that unknowingly pass it on.
Forgot to put my name on that last comment...Madeline
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