This article by Edwin J Bernard first appeared in issue 210 of NAM’s HIV Treatment Update, Winter 2012. For more information on NAM and HTU, or to subscribe to HTU, go to www.aidsmap.com
“Nothing short of barbaric.” This was the comment of a BBC presenter, confronted with the number and sheer arbitrary injustice of criminal convictions of people accused of transmitting HIV or exposing other people to it. In some cases, people have been jailed for failing to disclose HIV in situations wh