Should laws force HIV-positive Canadians to disclose their status to partners?

published on October 4, 2012 in Global TV

Canada’s highest court will rule Friday on whether HIV-positive Canadians who don’t tell their sexual partners of their status should face criminal charges.

It’s a contentious issue the Supreme Court of Canada will rule on in two high-profile cases that involved Canadians living with HIV.

But physicians and human rights advocates argue that if Supreme Court judges make Canadians living with HIV disclose their condition to partners, the law would stigmatize these people and perpetuate fear of what’s now a manageable disease.

“This is counterproductive. What it does is it creates a hostile, stigmatizing environment around HIV, even if you’re acting responsibly,” says Richard Elliott, a lawyer and executive director at the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network.

The national organization works to protect and promote human rights for those with HIV. It also encourages law and policy that helps with HIV prevention.

Read it on Global News: Global BC | Should laws force HIV-positive Canadians to disclose their status to partners?

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© Copyright BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
St. Paul's Hospital 608–1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 1Y6
Tel: 604-806-8477 | Fax: 604-806-9044
General inquiries: info@bccfe.ca
Media inquiries: communications@bccfe.ca
(Please do not use any of these email addresses to send personal information or book an appointment. To book appointments or contact the H2H clinic, please call 604-416-1517 or fax: 604-564-4893. Do not send your or your client's personal information via email.)

Our work serves clients and communities across British Columbia on lands and waters cared for and nurtured by the many distinct First Nations across the province. The BC-CfE humbly and gratefully acknowledge the stewards of these lands, particularly the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) on whose unceded, traditional and ancestral territories our offices are located.