1. Health

Readers Respond: Should HIV Disclosure Be Mandatory?

Responses: 24

From , former About.com Guide

Updated November 29, 2009

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right to privacy

This is a difficult issue in my opinion we live in world where there is a huge bias and the simple fact a person say for example: I have HIV. Since the condition the experience segregation, prejudice, exclusion. However as in the above example a couple who have sex both partners should know the diseases to each other so define the best position that the two should take in relation to risk of infection of patients with HIV not to the carrier. I argue that it is right only want to inform the carrier or not that is HIV positive.
—Guest carina.mgr@hotmail.com

mandatory disclosure?

why think for others when they neglect to do so? any casual sex encounter today (if the two aren't married) demands condom use if the participants care for tomorrow. even married couples use condoms by the way. it is against one's wish to be forced to disclose personal info without regard to their dignity. any self respecting individual must use a condom to prevent not just HIV but even other STIs. disclosure is a process and not just a one-stop activity. we'd rather criminalise the act of infecting others knowingly.
—Guest John Ouko, Kisumu

HIV Disclosure

YES, I believe that HIV+ persons have the MORAL and LEGAL obligation to disclose their status, their potential sexual partner is consenting to sex, NOT DEATH. Sure EVERYONE should act as if every sexual partner has HIV, but with non-disclosure of a persons HIV+ status PRIOR to any sexual conduct is murder.
—Guest Patrick

Mandatory HIV Disclosure

The rights and health of everybody should be considered, if an HIV+ person is going to have sex with a partner, he/she has an obligation to disclosure to that would be partner, there are cases where HIV+ are more concerned protecting their privacy than the health and well being of their partners....so YES, they should disclose.
—Guest evergreen

The Scarlet Letter

forcing disclosure of one's HIV status is akin to sewing a scarlet 'A' on all their clothing and shunning them as much as possible. There are not enough HIV education programs available - especially in rural areas - to adequately inform the general population what is true and what has been imagined by those that saw but were not affected by the huge numbers of deaths when HIV and AIDS reared their ugly heads. The only thing that will remove the stigma of individuals living with HIV/AIDS is teaching as many people as possible the facts about the disease. It is not 1984 any more. We know how to treat this, and HIV+ are living longer and having a normal life.
—Guest tjc1204

mandatory disclosure

yes status shiuld be disclosed because no one should be allowed to determine when or how you die
—Guest calloway

Shared confidentiality

In view of psycho-social changes involved with HIV test results,a client who tests positive will most probably decline to disclose their positive status even to their spouses..therefore there's need to protect the spouse(in a legal marriage or cohabitation)by sharing the status with them and consequently having them test theirs too especially in the Kenyan society.
—Guest Felix Munene University of Nairobi

mandatory disclosure

IDON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE UNLESS YOU ARE PLANNING TO HAVE SEX WITH THA PERSON
—Guest lorna henry

mandatory HIV disclosure

for couples / intending couples. for casual affairs,hiv + person mus guard against infecting his / her partner.
—Guest ibrahim rasheed

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