Ten reasons to oppose the criminalization of HIV exposure or transmission

Recent years have seen a push to apply criminal law to HIV exposure and transmission, often driven by the wish to respond to concerns about the ongoing rapid spread of HIV in many countries. Particularly in Africa, some groups have begun to advocate for criminalization in response to the serious phenomenon of women being infected with HIV through sexual violence or by partners who do not reveal their HIV diagnoses to them. While these issues must be urgently addressed, a closer analysis of the complex issues raised by criminalization of HIV exposure or transmission reveals that criminalization is unlikely to prevent new infections or reduce women's vulnerability to HIV. In fact, it may harm women rather than assist them, and have a negative impact on public health and human rights. This paper is a slightly revised version of a document originally released in December 2008 by a coalition of HIV, women's and human rights organizations. It provides ten reasons why criminalizing HIV exposure or transmission is generally an unjust and ineffective public policy. The obvious exception involves cases where individuals purposely or maliciously transmit HIV with the intent to harm others. In these rare cases, existing criminal laws - rather than new, HIV-specific laws - can and should be used

Computer security · Criminal law · Criminalization · Criminology · Harm · Human rights · Microbicide · Political science · Public health · Sexual transmission · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Sex work and related issues · Virology

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• Criminalising HIV transmission

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• Criminalizing HIV transmission using model law

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• The “Swiss Statement”

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• Do we need the criminalization of medical fake news

  Open Access•Kamil Mamak•Medicine Health Care and Philosophy•2021

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• Sex, lies, and videotape

  Open Access•Chadwick K Campbell, Florencia Rojo et al.•Crime Media Culture An…•2020

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• Deadly Disease vs. Chronic Illness

  Open Access•Erica Speakman, Dorothy Pawluch•Qualitative Sociology Review•2021

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• HIV+ women's narratives of non-disclosure

  Open Access•Allison K Groves, Suzanne Maman et al.•Global Public Health•2012

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• Awareness and Understanding of HIV Non-disclosure Case Law and the Role of Healthcare Providers in Discussions About the Criminalization of HIV Non-disclosure Among Women Living with HIV in Canada

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• Toward a Critical Criminology of HIV Criminalization

  Open Access•Andrew Novak•Critical Criminology•2021

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• The Ongoing Process of HIV-Stigma (Re)Production

  Open Access•Chadwick K Campbell•Sociological Perspectives•2023

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• Constructing an 'HIV-Killer

  Erica R Speakman, Erica Speakman•Deviant Behavior•2017

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• Intimacy and Responsibility

  Matthew Weait•Intimacy and Responsibility•2007

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