Privacy Rights on HIV or Not

Ever since the HIV/AID outbreak, multiple concerns have floated in everybody’s mind. The question comes up in your head whether this person has a deadly, yet manageable disease. How does it spread and how can we stop it? Where did it come from and what are we doing to prevent more cases? There is no way to know if someone has it without asking or with ought them telling you. Should people be required to tell you their personal health problems? Many people feel it's important to maintain their privacy, yet on the other hand people believe it should be public information. Understanding the controversy means understanding the disease. The first few outbreaks of AID’s started in the early 1980’s. It results from infection by the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. The virus destroys cells of the immune system, leaving the body vulnerable to a variety of opportunistic infections (Farrell, Nancy). The reason why the disease was so dangerous is because it could take months before people would notice symptoms, leaving people with the ability to continue spreading it from one person to another either sexually, exchanging of bodily fluids, or sharing of needles. With how easily it was for the disease to spread, people were conflicted with how this would impact society. Generally, people’s medicals records and considered private. Some argued that infected individuals should be forced to reveal their status to medical personnel who may come into contact with their blood, or to their sexual partners (Lee, Nancy). However, coming out to people and saying you may have a potentially deadly disease is never easy. It can interfere with your life socially. The feeling of isolation may occur. Family, friends, and loved ones may seem to fall back. But is the risk of embarrassment worth the risk to their lives? “The United States government should not require people to disclose their HIV/AIDS status, because such policies are a clear violation of the right to privacy and are ineffective at halting the spread of the disease. Mandatory disclosure may prevent people from seeking out tests or treatment. Additionally, mandatory status disclosure deprives Americans of the fundamental right to privacy, but public health is also put at risk because such policies simply do not work as intended (Forster, Matt). In the early stages of the disease, it only seemed to be appearing in homosexual or bisexual men. The United States at the time, had a negative attitude towards homosexuals, making the spread of the disease more complicated socially and ethnically. During the early stages of the breakout, some Americans believed that if you contracted the disease, that you were to only blame yourself.” Some religious groups, for example, saw HIV/AIDS as a divine punishment for sexual transgressions. This attitude of censure, accompanied by the confusion over how the virus was spread, led to the position that individuals who had been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS should be reported so as to protect those around them” (Lee, Nancy). On the other hand, disclosure of such information can still interfere with one's social life, family life, and life handling with one's career. So, “In 1994 a federal appeals court ruled that individuals who are infected with HIV have a constitutional right to privacy regarding their condition. Many courts have agreed in other cases” (Lee, Nancy). However, people can still be sued for not informing others of the HIV status, especially when having sexual relations. With misinformation circling for years, and with people still unsure of how the virus spreads, there has been a social stigma associated with HIV. People wonder if you could catch the virus by standing next to someone who let out a simple cough or swimming in the same pull as them. People also have judgments of their own and start to make assumptions about your sexual orientation and sexual habits. “This is not to say that all infected people will keep their status a secret and put the community at risk. It does mean, however, that people should be allowed to reveal their status voluntarily. When disclosure is required, the person with HIV loses control over this very private information. The end result is that they will avoid getting tested in the first place” (Farrell, Nancy). On the other hand, people feel as if the right to privacy is a fundamental right, and with there being a threat to that right, there is a greater chance testing will be HIV testing and treatment will be avoided and thus continuing the spread of the virus. When considering how the spread of the disease occurs, we also have to wonder who all is really at risk. People who do share their HIV status with others do so because they feel it's their responsibility to inform their sexual partners of the risk they may be facing. Protected sex, such as condoms, is not always a guarantee when trying to avoid contracting HIV. Not only are sexual partners at risk, but also health care professions. Everyday doctors and nurses encounter patients' bodily fluids that may contain and transmit the virus. Informing your caretaker of your status will not lower your quality of treatment as a patient but provide them with the knowledge they need necessary to take precautions to ensure their safety and others. “Disclosure allows policy makers and public health professionals to create effective strategies for combating the disease” ( Farrell, Nancy). Many arguments can be held by people when it comes to the subject of HIV/AIDS. The safety of us all are our main concerns. How can we stop the spread? How can we educate others about it? Is it mandatory for others to know the status of people carrying the virus? At the end of the day both views on each topic is understandable yet still debatable. HIV/AIDs aren't going anywhere anytime soon. What we can do is try to contain it and help others understand it is a manageable disease. People can live long and happy lives, even while having sexual relations with their partners. HIV/AIDs have tormented the world with its scaring death rates, but we have fought back and have become stronger as a nation because of it. "You are either affected or infected with HIV/AIDS" by jonrawlinson is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse.