This paper, drafted in 2002 for UNAIDS by Richard Elliott of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, is a well organized and useful document that describes the various policy considerations involved in legislating criminalization of HIV, and includes multiple policy options that advocates can use to argue against criminal exposure and transmission laws, or at least for mitigation of the effects of such laws. It incorporates a human rights discussion throughout and offers some guiding principles that legislators ought to keep in mind when considering legislation designed to punish HIV-positive individuals.
The Center for HIV Law and Policy challenges barriers to the rights and health of people affected by HIV through legal advocacy, high-impact policy initiatives, and creation of cross-issue partnerships, networks, and resources. We support movement building that amplifies the power of individuals and communities to mobilize for change that is rooted in racial, gender, and economic justice.