Last night, Eva and I drove across the border from Sweden into a small Scandinavian country called ?Gudomlig? (which roughly translated, means ?godliness?).
In Gudomlig, instead of spending most of their tax revenues maintaining a standing military and propping up useless financial institutions that benefit only the few, the Gudomlian government invests its citizens? earnings in universal healthcare coverage, better bridges and roads, better education, and the development of sustainable, eco-friendly energy sources. As a result of it?s government?s policies, Gudomlig?s people tend to be healthy, conscientious hard-working men and women who live without fear of terrorism.
The Gudomlian people also have a healthy attitude about human sexuality. The Gudomlig penal law recognizes that he use of criminal law to address HIV and other STDs is wrong, except in rare cases where a person acts with conscious intent to transmit HIV and does so. In Gudomlig, simply having HIV can NEVER be a basis for discrimination or exclusion..
The Gudomlians understand that human sexuality is complicated. They believe that it should only be unlawful for someone with HIV (or any dangerous sexually transmitted pathogen,) to knowingly and intentionally fail to disclose that he or she has that condition to a partner immediately prior to engaging in any sexual activity that carries a reasonable risk of transmission that the partner may become infected. Likewise, if someone does cross the line of acceptable conduct, he or she shouldn?t be punished at all unless they?ve actually transmitted their pathogen.
The Gudomlian sexual disclosure law has four, clearly written provisons, which I?ve translated
verbatim:
?1. It shall be unlawful for anyone with a sexually transmitted condition, as defined herein, to knowingly and intentionally fail to disclose that he or she has that condition to a partner immediately prior to engaging in any sexual activity that carries a reasonable risk of transmission that the partner may become infected.
2. Notwithstanding the above, if anyone with a sexually communicated condition knowingly and intentionally fails to disclose that he or she has that condition to a partner immediately prior to engaging in any sexual activity, without actually transmitting such disease, such conduct shall not punishable by law.
3. Section 1 shall not apply to anyone engaging in sexual activity for payment or in any commercial establishment or other public venue where sexual activity between consenting adults occurs.
4. The following conditions are sexually communicated conditions:
* BV - Bacterial Vaginosis
* Chlamydia and LGV
* Gonorrhea
* Hepatitis (viral)
* Herpes, Genital
* HPV - Human Papillomavirus Infection
* PID - Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
* Syphilis
* Trichomoniasis
* Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Gudomlians understand that all of these conditions are sexually communicated, and they believe that if you know that you have one, it?s unfair to subject someone else to it without telling them about it. Period.
The Gudomlian law doesn?t relieve the Gudomlians? partners from their own responsibilities; when human beings engage in unsafe sex we are always taking some risks, but if we are going to criminalize human sexual behavior at all, the laws should be intelligently written and based on established scientific facts.
Eva and I are applying for citiziship in Gudomlig. It sounds like a nice place to live.
Now if only I could find it on the map...
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