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Criminal transmission of HIV

Intentional or reckless infection of a person with the human immunodeficiency virus


Summary

Intentional or reckless infection of a person with the human immunodeficiency virus

Criminal transmission of HIV is the intentional or reckless infection of a person with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This is often conflated, in laws and in discussion, with criminal exposure to HIV, which does not require the transmission of the virus and often, as in the cases of spitting and biting, does not include a realistic means of transmission. Some countries or jurisdictions, including some areas of the U.S., have enacted laws expressly to criminalize HIV transmission or exposure, charging those accused with criminal transmission of HIV. Other countries charge the accused under existing laws with such crimes as murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, assault or fraud.

Criminal transmission of HIV is now better known as HIV non-disclosure, which is the criminal offence in some jurisdictions for not disclosing an HIV positive status. This can be intentionally or unknowingly not disclosing HIV status and then exposing or transmitting HIV to a person. HIV non-disclosure includes intentional transmission, accidental transmission, unknowing transmission (where the source individual is unaware of their infection), and exposure to HIV with no transmission. Individuals have been accused of and charged for HIV non-disclosure even if no harm was intended and if HIV was not actually transmitted. Laws in some countries also criminalize mother-to-child transmission of HIV during pregnancy/birth or breastfeeding.

Modes of transmission

HIV is spread when blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, breast milk, rectal fluids, or vaginal fluids of an HIV-positive person come into contact with a mucous membrane or bloodstream of an HIV-negative person. HIV transmission can occur via:

  • Unprotected sexual intercourse
  • Sharing needles or other equipment in injection drug use
  • Intentionally attacking people with HIV infected needles
  • Mother-to-child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding
  • Receiving a blood transfusion or organ donation – although this is unlikely because blood and organ donations are extensively tested for HIV

Reducing chance of transmission

Having a low viral load decreases the chance of transmitting HIV. A person living with HIV who is taking effective antiretroviral therapy will have a viral load that becomes so low, it is undetectable (less than 50 copies of virus per milliliter). Undetectable viral loads are untransmittable. Proper use of external condoms or internal condoms also greatly reduces any chance of transmission. The correct use of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) can dramatically reduce the chances of transmission for both sexual contact and intravenous drug users.

Criticism of criminal statutes

Research has been done on the effects of the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure. It has been demonstrated that these types of laws increase HIV stigma and negatively affect public health. HIV non-disclosure laws and criminalization of HIV transmission may make people less likely to access HIV testing and less likely to disclosure their status or discuss sexual health with a healthcare provider. They may also be applied unevenly. For example, in Canada, although women only make up 10% of Canadian non-disclosure prosecutions, there is an overrepresentation of prosecuted sex workers, Indigenous women, and abuse survivors. There is also a higher proportion of women and Indigenous people involved in cases based on low levels of blameworthiness (e.g., difficult life circumstance, spontaneous sexual acts, compliance with authorities, condom use, and evidence that the accused was abused by the complainant).

South Africa's openly HIV-positive Supreme Court Justice Edwin Cameron argued against criminalisation at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

References

References

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