The more I read about HIV criminalization, the more worried I become. Laws across the country and around the world seem to be getting more aggressive and less fair.
Many laws don't even take into account whether you disclose your status. Simply by having sex with a negative person you are putting yourself at risk for prosecution, even if the other person is aware of your status and even if you are not.
I don't think that any HIV+ person should knowingly or willingly infect another person, but shouldn't the laws take a person’s intent into account?
We don't jail gun owners simply for having a gun or bullets—or if they accidentally shoot someone (remember VP Dick Cheney?). So why are we treating HIV+ people like snipers hiding along a freeway shooting innocent passersby?
I am at a loss as to how to protect myself—or anyone for that matter—from wrongly being prosecuted for a perceived crime. I've read stories of positive people being convicted for spitting. What if I sneeze around another person? Could this be perceived as a crime?
Where do we draw the line? How do we turn the tide that seems to have risen up against us? Do we simply withdraw from the world? What can we do to stop the unnecessary prosecution of someone who already carries a life sentence?
