GERRI@IBM.COM (Gerri Oppedisano) (02/02/91)
> > Does this same question apply to lesser diseases, such as > Herpes? > Should it matter if the person tells their partner or not? > Can the contracting of the disease be considered a crime > even if no one has yet died? > Tell me, why on Earth would a person who has AIDS not tell their sexual partner unless they are so bitter about the whole thing they couldn't care who else contracts the desease? If I had a contageous, fatal, sexually transmittable desease I believe I would tell my partner. This is not a matter of needing your privacy respected, this is a matter of possibly killing someone. I personally feel this should be true of ANY sexually transmitted desease.. In the case where there is a cure for whatever it is you have (i.e.syphillis), you are required by law to contact your parnters to get treated if you are diagnosed as having the desease (that is, your doctor is required to report you the the health dept. and the health dept. gets on you to contact past lovers). In the case of Herpes, there is no cure but it isn't fatal, so people unfortunately have their choice as to whether or not to keep it a secret, although, again, I think the partner should be informed.. Call me old fashioned but if you don't feel close enough to someone to reveal the fact that you have a sexually contageous desease then why would you feel fine having sex with them? Anyway, you might guess that my opinion in answer to your question is Yes, if a person who has AIDS or is HIV+ and knows it but doesn't tell their partner and the partner dies of it and it is traced back to you, then you should be charged with murder. If the person didn't die but finds out you have AIDS or are HIV+, then you should be able to be held responsible in some way.. maybe a suing for damages or sentence of some kind of assault.. Sounds like there would need to be a new law for it. But my basic point is people should not be allowed to walk around being that irresponsible. In answer to your second question, I think I've expressed that it SHOULD definitely matter whether you tell your partner or not what your status is given the jeopardy you are most likely putting them in. It shouldn't matter to you if you have malicious intent, but it certainly should matter to the potential victim. If a person has contracted an HIV+ status or full blown AIDS from another person who knowingly kept the information from them, then I would consider it to be a crime -- (in answer to your third question). I assume from your note that you're asking for opinions (given the "shoulds" in your questions). I have no idea what the case really is legally. It would be good to find out. What is ACT-UP's view on this? gerri@ibm.com