The Controversy Over HIV/AIDS Disclosure Law Essay -- Biology Medical

Abstract Forty million people worldwide are infected with the HIV virus. About six percent of them will not inform their intimate partners about their health condition. Many efforts that have been made over the past decade towards establishing a HIV/AIDS law, have finally paid off. The act of disclosing the virus was written in 1990. It caused quite a stir among the citizens of the United States. Many people concluded that there were holes in the disclosure law concerning HIV/AIDS because it lacked complete thought. Some felt that if HIV positive people had to tell others about their condition, they would be more susceptible to discrimination and rejection. Essentially, it was a law that ended a few problems and then led to a massive predicament. As the HIV virus pandemic arose, so did the voices of a plethora of distinct individuals- victims who were infected with this life long curse. However, these victims were unaware of their intimate partner’s sickly condition. In this case, the partner failed to disclose that he/she was HIV positive. As a result, in 1990, the tables started to turn. The victims, who were unaware of the risk they were taking with their partner, finally became the center of attention. (Wallace, 2005) Since 2004, in California, it has been considered a felony when the infected person recognizes that he/she is HIV positive, when he/she has not informed his/her partner, and when he/she intends to pass it on. (California department of Health Services, 2004) Even though the establishment of the law was based on good intentions for the sake of potential victims, problems were solved as new ones began. Some people support the law because it benefits the partner who is at risk. Others in society argue tha t the la... ...tml Cline, R., & McKenzie, n. (2000). Dilemmas of Disclosure in the Age of HIV/ AIDS: Balancing Privacy and Protection in the Health Care Context. Balancing the Secrets of Private Disclosures (pp. 53-69). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Derlega, V., Folk-Barron, L., & Winstead, B. (2000). Reasons for and Against Disclosing HIV- positive Test Results to an Intimate Partner: A Function Perspective. Petronio, Sandra (Ed.) Balancing the Secrets of Private Disclosures (pp. 53-69). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Raver, D. (1997). Old HIV Laws. Washington Post, A 26. There is No Bargaining with HIV. Popular Science. 17 July 2005. http://www.popsci.com/popsci/medicine/article/0,20967,783255,00.html Wallace, N. (2005, February). Case Throws HIV Laws Into Question. SMH. 26 July 2005. http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Case