Zimbabwe: Bill includes HIV in expanded list of STIs with criminal penalties for “deliberate” transmission

Government criminalises deliberate HIV, STIs transmission

THE Government has listed HIV/AIDS as one of the sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), whose deliberate transmission to another partner will now be punishable under law.

The Criminal Laws Amendment (Protection of Children and Young Persons) currently before Parliament has a clause that includes HIV/AIDS as one of the STIs, whose wilful transmission can be charged as a criminal offence.

Other STIs that are punishable include syphilis, gonorrhoea and herpes, among others.

Another objective of the Criminal Laws (Protection of Children and Young Persons) Amendment Bill is to raise the age of sexual consent from 16 to 18.

Clause Eight of the Bill stipulates that a law that decriminalises deliberate HIV/AIDS transmission still stood after the Marriages Act repealed Section 79 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act that sought to impose heavy and long-term jail sentence on those convicted of wilful transmission of HIV/AIDS.

“Deliberately infecting persons with sexually-transmitted diseases was originally dealt with in two sections of the Criminal Law Code. Section 78 makes it a crime for anyone to deliberately infect another person with a sexually-transmitted disease other than HIV; section 79 made the same provision for those who infected others with HIV, but provided for a much heavier sentence to be imposed. Section 79 was repealed by the Marriages Act in 2022, which means that it is no longer a crime to infect other persons with HIV (because section 78 specifically excludes HIV),” reads Clause Eight of the Bill.

“This section will amend section 78 of the Code to include HIV among the sexually transmitted diseases covered by the section.”

In 2022, the Government decriminalised wilful transmission of HIV to a partner through the Marriages Act when it repealed a legal provision that made it an offence, as the Second Republic sought to move with international trends.

The repealed section provided for 20 years in prison for anyone convicted of deliberate transmission of HIV/AIDS, whilst Section 78 of the Criminal Code, which now includes HIV/AIDS as an STI, provides for a fine equal to Level 14 or five years in prison or both.

Section 78 of the Criminal Code (Codification and Reform Act reads as follows: “(2) Any person who (a) knowing that he or she is suffering from a sexually-transmitted disease; or (b) realising that there is a real risk or possibility that he or she is suffering from a sexually-transmitted disease; intentionally infects any other person with the disease, or does anything or causes or permits anything to be done with the intention or realising that there is a real risk or possibility of infecting any other person with the disease, shall be guilty of deliberately infecting that other person with a sexually-transmitted disease and liable to a fine up to or exceeding level fourteen or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or both.”

Recently, President Mnangagwa invoked his powers under the Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures) Act to gazette Statutory Instrument 2 of 2024, in compliance with a Constitutional Court ruling that had declared a section of the law that sets sexual consent age at 16 as unconstitutional.

The Statutory Instrument invoked by the President raised the age of consent to sexual relations to 18, consistent with the Constitution which sets the minimum marriage age at 18 and defines all young people as below the age of 18, while the original law defined them as below the age of 16, so protection was withdrawn from 17 and 18-year-olds.

The Presidential Powers have a lifespan of just six months during which Parliament has to pass a substantive law if the desire is to make the measure permanent.

US: Louisiana HIV decriminalisation bill to be revisited at a later date

Lawmakers stall on bill to change state’s HIV law

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Some at the state legislature believe the penalty for intentionally passing it along to someone else should not be as harsh with HIV no longer being the death sentence that it once was.

“It really is now a chronic disease like diabetes, like hypertension even though the transmission is certainly not the same,” said Jennifer Avegno with the New Orleans Health Department.

A task force was recently created to review the current data we have around HIV and how our state can update its laws. Health professionals today claim the law deters people from getting tested or treated.

“Many states like Georgia, Texas, Florida, others like Virginia have updated their laws. So, we’re currently just trying to update the laws,” said Rep. Aimee Adatto Freeman (D-New Orleans).

Under HB436 Rep. Freeman, those convicted would have their fine be reduced from $5,000 to $1,000, reduce the amount of time behind bars from 10 years to 1 year, and also redefine the crime by calling it “intentional transmission of HIV” instead of “intentional exposure to HIV”. The argument is that transmission is specific to those who actually become infected, while exposure is too broad of a term that could result in someone who’s infected being arrested for exposure after they’ve spit on someone.

“In 2009 I was convicted of intentional exposure to the aids virus. Without my consent, my home was searched and ultimately, I was arrested at work. And I would add that I was an employee at the 2nd circuit court of appeal, so I was embarrassingly arrested in front of my co-workers and peers,” said Robert Suttle who has HIV.

However, some said the concerns about the laws vagueness was address in 2018 when the law was amended.

“And that is when spitting on someone and some of these other outdated methods of quote unquote transmission were repealed from our law. Those do not exist,” said Kathleen Barrios with the 19th J.D.

This caused some on the committee to take a pause on how they were about to vote. Before it got to that point Representative Freeman decided to pull her bill and bring it back for another try later after she’s had time to get on the same page with the district attorneys.

Brazil: Proposed bill seeks to increase penalties in cases of HIV transmission

Congressman from Mato Grosso do Sul wants to increase the penalty for those who intentionally transmit HIV

Translated via Deep.com – Scroll down for article in Portuguese

The Bill seeks to increase the penalty by up to two-thirds in cases involving marital relations
A bill presented by Mato Grosso do Sul Congressman Geraldo Resende (PSDB) is currently before the Chamber of Deputies in Brasilia, increasing the prison sentence for people who intentionally transmit HIV in marital relations.
The congressman’s proposal increases the penalty from one to two thirds if the exposure to contamination is carried out by the victim’s spouse or partner. Resende points out in the proposal that the intentional transmission of AIDS, as a result of the current stage of development of science, should be legally classified as the transmission of an incurable disease and the conduct should be classified as bodily injury of a serious nature with a penalty of two to eight years.
“We believe that free and knowing transmission by a spouse or partner, through unprotected sex, by someone who is aware of their infection with the disease and the notorious risk of transmitting it to their partner, should be punished more rigorously,” he said.
Bill 652/2024 is still being analysed by the Chamber of Deputies.

Deputado de Mato Grosso do Sul, quer aumentar pena para quem transmite HIV intencionalmente

Projeto de lei quer aumentar a pena em até dois terços em casos ocorridos em relações conjugais
Tramita na Câmara dos Deputados, em Brasília, um projeto de lei apresentado pelo deputado por MS, Geraldo Resende (PSDB), que aumenta a pena de prisão para pessoas que transmitam intencionalmente o HIV (sigla em inglês para Vírus da Imunodeficiência Humana) em relações conjugais.
A proposta do congressista aumenta de um a dois terços a pena se a exposição à contaminação for praticada por cônjuge ou companheiro da vítima. Resende pontua na proposta que a transmissão intencional da AIDS, em decorrência do atual estágio de desenvolvimento da ciência, seja enquadrada juridicamente como transmissão de enfermidade incurável e seja a conduta capitulada como lesão corporal de natureza grave com pena de dois a oito anos.
“Consideramos que a transmissão livre e consciente levada a efeito por cônjuge ou companheiro, por meio da prática de relações sexuais desprotegidas, por aquele que tem prévia ciência de sua infecção pela enfermidade e do notório risco em transmiti-la à parceira ou ao parceiro, deve ser punida de forma mais rigorosa”, disse.
O projeto de lei 652/2024 segue em análise na Câmara dos Deputados.

US: Bill to end felony charges for people with HIV in prostitution cases removes the last relic of HIV criminalization laws

Pennsylvania lawmakers introduce bills to repeal felony charge for HIV-related prostitution

HARRISBURG – March 21, 2023 – State Senator Vincent Hughes and Representatives Benjamin Waxman and Malcolm Kenyatta announced legislation on March 20, 2024 that will repeal Pennsylvania’s felony sentencing enhancement for people living with HIV who are charged with prostitution.

Removing the felony charge removes the last relic of HIV criminalization laws in Pennsylvania, one of nine states still subjecting people living with HIV to harsher penalties if charged with prostitution. In recent years other states including Georgia, Nevada, and California have modernized or repealed their prostitution laws.

“HIV is not a crime. This is 2024, not 1984,” said Senator Hughes. “We have evolved so much in the forty years since we were confronted with this virus. Stigma was wrong then, and it is wrong now. Let’s continue the journey of eliminating this issue of discrimination toward HIV from the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

HIV criminalization laws began to appear across the nation more than 30 years ago, and advocates have been pushing for reform ever since. Kenya Moussa, of the Pennsylvania HIV Justice Alliance, Positive Women’s Network – Pennsylvania Chapter, and Health Not Prisons Collective, said that “we should treat HIV like a health condition, not like a crime.”

The current law, according to Representative Waxman “does nothing for public safety. The only thing that the mention of HIV in the criminal code does is discriminate against people with a communicable disease and that is not right.”

“HIV is not a crime,” Representative Kenyatta emphasized. “When we criminalize a diagnosis, we encourage people to go untested and not seek treatment.” Kenyatta continued, “Pennsylvania has an opportunity to move the ball in the right direction and treat everyone, no matter what diagnosis with dignity and respect.”

Shekinah Rose, who has been “living, surviving and thriving with HIV/AIDS for 39+ years” and is a member of the Pennsylvania HIV Justice Alliance, Positively Trans, and Positive Women’s Network USA, said that “with the passage of this bill, we will remove stigma, encouraging people to get tested, get into care, and thrive!”

A September 2023 poll by Susquehanna Polling and Research shows that a majority of Pennsylvanians believe that the state’s HIV laws should be updated to reflect modern science. According to the poll, 76% of Pennsylvanians believe that current HIV laws should be modernized and updated. And 79% believe that people living with HIV should receive the health care they need, rather than face criminal charges that discriminate and discourage proper testing, treatment, and disclosure.

“Punishing people simply because they have a virus does not make anyone safe,” said Ronda B. Goldfein, executive director of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania. “Instead, criminal penalties based on fear and misinformation contribute to the stigma fueling the HIV epidemic.”

US: Maryland lawmakers sponsor bill aiming to repeal HIV criminalisation law

Commentary: Maryland must stop criminalizing people living with HIV

State lawmakers moving to repeal law that stigmatizes people living with HIV, increases public health risk

Having a virus should not be a crime. Yet, in Maryland, people living with HIV can face prosecution and criminal penalties even when we have disclosed our status, used condoms or are virally suppressed through medication. Maryland has an outdated law from 1989 that makes it a misdemeanor for a person living with HIV who is aware of their HIV-positive status to “knowingly transfer or attempt to transfer” HIV to another person. A conviction under this law can carry a punishment of up to three years in prison, and the law has been used to charge people for behaviors that do not transmit HIV, such as spitting and biting.

As people who have lived with HIV for decades, we know firsthand that Maryland’s HIV criminalization law discourages people from knowing their status, fosters stigma and creates barriers to lifesaving health care. It’s time for lawmakers to repeal this deeply unjust law.

Legislation (HB 485/SB 1165) sponsored by Del. Kris Fair (D) and Sen. Sen. Karen Lewis Young (D), both from Frederick County, aims to repeal this law that punishes people living with HIV. It is a law enforced on deeply racist lines. A recent analysis by the Williams Institute revealed our HIV criminalization law is used disproportionately against Black Marylanders and Black men in particular, driving increased incarceration rates and fostering stigma and shame around HIV and knowing one’s status. People living with HIV need health care, not the threat of prison cells.

This law was passed 35 years ago, when little was known about the virus. If that seems long ago, it was: George H.W. Bush was president, cellphones were the size of bricks, and Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul topped the music charts. At that time, there was little hope for people living with HIV. Thankfully, much has changed since then.

Today, we are just some of the many people with HIV who are living long and fulfilling lives. Those of us living with HIV who achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load — the amount of HIV in our blood — by taking medication as prescribed cannot sexually transmit HIV to our partners. Furthermore, people who don’t have HIV have even more effective prevention tools and can take medications such as PrEP and PEP. All of these advancements were unheard of in 1989, when lawmakers responded with fear by criminalizing HIV.

If you are surprised to learn about the incredible medical advancements in the treatment and prevention of HIV, you are not alone. Stigma and racism around the virus run so deep that many people have an outdated understanding of HIV. In fact, today our goal of ending the epidemic of HIV is achievable in the coming years if we focus on expanding access to testing, prevention and treatment.

All of us should know our HIV status, but stigma, lack of access to health care and fear of criminal penalties under Maryland law are barriers to testing for many. Our state laws and policies should remove barriers to health care and encourage Marylanders to know their status. The compounding tragedy of our HIV criminalization law is it deters people from seeking testing and treatment, thus prolonging the HIV epidemic and its toll on our communities.

Repealing the HIV criminalization law would make it safer for people unknowingly living with HIV to get tested and access needed treatment. Nationally, a recent study showed that approximately 80% of new HIV transmissions were from people who do not know their HIV status or are not receiving regular care. Expanding access to testing could have a profound effect in our state. The Maryland Department of Health estimates over 34% of young people living with HIV in the state remain undiagnosed. It is clear we cannot meet our public health goals without repealing this law.

As community caretakers in the movement, we are committed to doing everything we can to reduce stigma around HIV and increase access to care for all Marylanders. For years, we have joined other people living with HIV to share our personal stories with legislators in support of updating our law. HIV is preventable and treatable, and we hope one day to end the epidemic. However, to achieve that goal, we must first end the criminalization of HIV in the state we call home. Removing harmful, stigmatizing criminal punishments for knowing your HIV status is a commonsense update that is long overdue for the great state of Maryland.

US: Kentucky bill proposes downgrading HIV transmission charges from felony to misdemeanour

Kentucky lawmakers taking up HIV/AIDS transmission decriminalization measure

By Stu Johnson

HIV/AIDS is a disease that continues to affect thousands of people across the Commonwealth. It’s an issue getting attention in Frankfort as lawmakers consider legislation tied to the transmission of HIV. The focus is on decriminalization.

The AIDS epidemic came about more than 4 decades ago. Since that time, a great deal has changed regarding how the disease is managed, which in the early 1980’s was deadly. There are laws tied to the illness that are being updated. Kentucky lawmakers are taking up a bill that makes intentional transmission of HIV/AIDS a Class A misdemeanor. It’s currently listed as a felony. Russell GOP Representative Danny Bentley, a retired pharmacist, is sponsoring the bill.

“Most people don’t realize that HIV is not their number one STD today. It’s human papilloma, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. So, we’re putting it on the same level as the other ones and decreasing the penalty,” said Bentley.

Bentley said, quote, “having HIV is not a crime, it’s an infection.”

Morgan Cole is an advanced practice registered nurse and heads the Sexually Transmitted Infections Task Force at Louisville’s Norton’s HealthCare. Cole said it’s not about completely eliminating accountability.

“There absolutely is a need to not eliminate these laws altogether, but to modernize them to what we know now. Eliminating the laws kind of lets people who are out there doing things with ill intention. Those no accountability for those people and we definitely want to make sure that we have law in place that hold people accountable, if they’re putting people at risk intentionally,” said Cole.

Cole noted the criminalization of HIV is still widespread throughout the United States. She added 35 states including Kentucky criminalize actions involving HIV. The RN said the situation today is much different than in the 1980s.

“We have anti-retroviral therapy and if a person is virally suppressed and their viral load is zero they cannot pass HIV to other people. We didn’t have pre-exposure prophylaxis when these laws were written,” said Cole.

Cole said the laws need updating to make sure there aren’t convictions of people who are doing everything in their power to prevent transmission.

Chris Hartman is director of Kentucky Fairness and is spending a significant amount of time at the State Capitol during the current General Assembly session. He said the UCLA-based Williams Institute reports Kentucky saw 32 people arrested for HIV transmission since 2006. And although the numbers might be considered small, Hartman said the felony charge option carries a heavy weight.

“This is all about de-stigmatizing HIV and AIDS which more than 40 years after the original HIV pandemic and AIDS pandemic is the right and just thing to do,” said Hartman.

Hartman says most of the previous arrests occurred in Louisville, Lexington, and northern Kentucky. He says women in general have comprised of about two-thirds of those arrests.

Hartman said bringing HIV/AIDs transmission prosecution in line with other sexually transmitted infections could also increase testing.

“We know that right away when people learn that they are HIV positive that they change their behaviors and so the risk of transmission decreases first off because folks end up becoming safer, to disclose their status, to not engage in sexual activity, if they learn that they are HIV positive,” said Hartman.

Registered Nurse Morgan Cole said there have been increases in HIV cases. She said Kentucky has been identified by the CDC as a high risk of HIV outbreaks, linked to injection drug use. Cole said there are 54 counties in the Commonwealth with increased risks of having an outbreak. And Chris Hartman said it’s testing again that can make the biggest difference in bringing down HIV cases.

Singapore: People with undetectable viral load no longer required to disclose their HIV status under new law

HIV disclosure law to be amended

People with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will no longer be legally required to disclose the risk of contracting the virus to their sexual partners as long as they have maintained undetectable viral loads for at least six months, under a Bill passed in Parliament on March 7.

They must also have test results showing that they have an undetectable viral load dated nine months or less before the date they have sex, and they must have adhered to their medical treatment during this time.

“Persons living with HIV who have met these criteria would have effectively zero risk of transmitting HIV to their sexual partner,” said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health Rahayu Mahzam in Parliament.

Currently, those who have tested positive for HIV must not engage in sexual activity with another person unless they first inform the other person of the risk of contracting HIV, and the other person agrees to accept the risk. Those who fail to do so can be fined up to $50,000, jailed for up to 10 years or both.

Ms Rahayu said the changes align with medical advancements, as well as Singapore’s public health objective to curb transmission by shifting greater responsibility to individuals.

“The objectives of the amendments are to encourage individuals who are at higher risk of getting HIV to be tested regularly for HIV, and if possible to get treated early, so that they can achieve undetectable viral load as early as possible,” she said. She urged those living with HIV to adhere to treatment and monitor their viral load closely with their doctors to reduce the risk of transmission.

The amendments to the Infectious Diseases Act mean that laws on disclosure will no longer apply to such individuals if they have maintained an undetectable viral load for a prescribed period before having sex.

Ms Rahayu noted that Singapore is not the first jurisdiction to amend HIV disclosure laws. Sweden, Taiwan and the United States have also removed the disclosure requirement for persons living with HIV who have no risk of transmitting the virus.

“I would like to emphasise that in proposing the amendments, we are not relaxing the public health safeguards against HIV transmission, but encouraging infected persons to come forward to be tested and treated, thereby better protecting their sexual partners,” she said.

Ms Rahayu added that irresponsible behaviour that can lead to the transmission of HIV remains an offence and appropriate enforcement action will be taken.

It is still a criminal offence for any person who knows that he or she has HIV to donate blood at any blood bank in Singapore. Those who do so can be fined up to $50,000, jailed for up to 10 years or both.

Mexico: Activists call for congress to repeal HIV Criminalisation statute in Tlaxcala

Activists urge the decriminalisation of “danger of contagion” for HIV and other diseases in Tlaxcala

Translated from Spanish with Deepl.com – Scroll down for original article

Activists and defenders of the human rights of people living with HIV have urged the Congress of Tlaxcala to pass an initiative to eliminate the crime of “danger of contagion” from the local Penal Code as soon as possible.

Antonio Escobar Muñoz, director of the HIV and Human Rights programme of the LGBTTTQI+ collective, argued that it is essential to eliminate any discriminatory treatment based on health status.

According to the activist, cases of discrimination and stigmatisation based on health status persist in Tlaxcala, especially in school, work and governmental environments, mainly in the health sector.

Escobar Muñoz pointed out that people with HIV face criminalisation based on their HIV status, but often choose not to report it for fear of stigma and re-victimisation.

She emphasised that in Tlaxcala more work is needed on awareness raising, sensitisation and education, although the decriminalisation initiative represents an important step towards ensuring safe and discrimination-free environments.

This day, the initiative was presented in the plenary of the Local Congress with a draft decree proposing to repeal the denomination of Chapter I of the Eleventh Title with its respective article 302; section V of article 434, both of the Penal Code for the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala.

This initiative seeks to recognise the need to promote public policies that encourage prevention, education and support for people living with HIV, thus contributing to the fight against stigmatisation and discrimination, as well as highlighting the need to update legislation in Tlaxcala.

Urgen activistas despenalización de “peligro de contagio” por VIH y otras enfermedades en Tlaxcala

Activistas y defensores de los derechos humanos de personas que viven con VIH han urgido al Congreso de Tlaxcala a dictaminar cuanto antes la iniciativa para eliminar del Código Penal local el delito de “peligro de contagio”.

Antonio Escobar Muñoz, director del programa de VIH y Derechos Humanos del colectivo LGBTTTQI+, argumentó que es indispensable eliminar cualquier trato discriminatorio por condición de salud.

Según el activista, en Tlaxcala persisten casos de discriminación y estigmatización por condición de salud, especialmente en entornos escolares, laborales y gubernamentales, principalmente en el sector salud.

Escobar Muñoz señaló que las personas con VIH enfrentan situaciones de criminalización basadas en su estatus serológico, pero muchas veces optan por no denunciar por miedo al estigma y la revictimización.

Enfatizó que en Tlaxcala se necesita más trabajo en concientización, sensibilización y educación, aunque la iniciativa de despenalización representa un paso importante para garantizar entornos seguros y libres de discriminación.

Este día, se presentó en el pleno del Congreso Local la iniciativa con proyecto de decreto por el cual se propone derogar la denominación del Capítulo I del Título Décimo Primero con su respectivo artículo 302; la fracción V del artículo 434, ambos del Código Penal para el Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala.

En esta iniciativa, se busca reconocer la necesidad de promover políticas públicas que fomenten la prevención, la educación y el apoyo a las personas que viven con VIH, contribuyendo así a la lucha contra la estigmatización y la discriminación, además de destacar la necesidad de actualizar la legislación en Tlaxcala.

Mexico: Colima State repeals “danger of contagion” article from its criminal code

The offence of “Danger of Contagion” is removed from the Criminal Code.

Translated with Deep.com – Scroll down for original article in Spanish

With just 15 votes in favour from Morena deputies and their allies from the New Alliance Party, Labour Party, and the now non-party deputy Rigoberto García Negrete, the State Congress repealed the criminal offence known as “Danger of Contagion”, which criminalised people infected with the HIV virus.

This action was carried out following the presentation of the opinion on the Bill with draft Decree, proposed by Deputy Alfredo Álvarez Ramírez, to reform Articles 77 and 119, and repeal Chapter I of the Seventh Title and Article 212 of the Penal Code for the State of Colima.

The Commission of Legislative Studies and Constitutional Points, in charge of drafting the opinion, emphasised that the measure was adopted under a guaranteeing vision and in response to the demand of different social groups to end discrimination.

The elimination of the criminal offence “Danger of Contagion” from the Criminal Code for the State of Colima was justified by the fact that it violated the human rights of people with contagious diseases, stigmatising them and unfairly turning them into victims and perpetrators.

During the “Ninth Youth Parliament 2023”, in which 25 young people from the state participated, initiatives in favour of various social sectors were presented. This reform took up the research and proposal of youth deputy Roberto Macías Cruz, who argued that the criminalisation of HIV increases the vulnerability of those affected and leads to multiple human rights violations.

According to UN AIDS, more than 3,242 people with HIV have been prosecuted for exposure and transmission of the virus. The initiative argues that criminalising HIV not only fails to stop the epidemic, but also undermines public health prevention efforts, alienating people with the virus.

The Committee stressed that the aim of repealing the “Danger of Contagion” offence is to avoid stigmatisation, discrimination and criminalisation of people with infectious diseases, ensuring the protection of human rights such as equality, non-discrimination and health, principles upheld by the Constitution.

The opinion, when submitted to the plenary for consideration, highlighted that the “Danger of Contagion” offence infringes the rights to equality and non-discrimination of people with diseases, as it criminalises the simple fact of suffering from a contagious disease, increasing stigmatisation and fear towards these people, which undermines human dignity. The commission concluded that the repeal of the criminal offence was feasible, as it discriminates against and unjustly criminalises people with contagious diseases.

The proposal to reform articles 77 and 119, and to repeal Chapter I of Title Seven and Article 212 of the Penal Code for the State of Colima, was put to a vote without the consensus of all parliamentary groups. After a recess and discussions, an agreement was reached to approve the reforms with the support of Morena and its allies.

The PAN and PRI deputies did not vote in favour, while those of Movimiento Ciudadano abstained. Finally, by a margin of 15 votes, the repeal of the criminal offence “Danger of Contagion” was approved, marking a step forward in the protection of the human rights of people with contagious diseases, by avoiding their stigmatisation and criminalisation.

Eliminan del Código Penal el delito denominado “Peligro de Contagio

Con apenas 15 votos a favor de los diputados de Morena y sus aliados del Partido Nueva Alianza, Partido del Trabajo, y del ahora diputado sin partido Rigoberto García Negrete, el Congreso del Estado derogó el delito penal conocido como “Peligro de Contagio”, que criminalizaba a las personas infectadas por el virus del VIH.

Esa acción se llevó a cabo tras presentarse el dictamen sobre la Iniciativa de Ley con proyecto de Decreto, propuesta por el Diputado Alfredo Álvarez Ramírez, para reformar los artículos 77 y 119, y derogar el Capítulo I del Título Séptimo y el Artículo 212 del Código Penal para el Estado de Colima.

La Comisión de Estudios Legislativos y Puntos Constitucionales, encargada de elaborar el dictamen, destacó que la medida se adoptó bajo una visión garantista y respondiendo a la demanda de distintos grupos sociales por acabar con la discriminación.

La eliminación del tipo penal “Peligro de Contagio” del Código Penal para el Estado de Colima se justificó por vulnerar los derechos humanos de las personas con enfermedades contagiosas, estigmatizándolas y convirtiéndolas injustamente en víctimas y victimarios.

Durante el “Noveno Parlamento de las Juventudes 2023”, donde participaron 25 jóvenes del estado, se presentaron iniciativas en favor de varios sectores sociales. Esa reforma retomó la investigación y propuesta del diputado juvenil Roberto Macías Cruz, quien argumentó que la criminalización del VIH aumenta la vulnerabilidad de las personas afectadas y conduce a múltiples violaciones de derechos humanos.

Según ONU SIDA, más de 3,242 personas con VIH han sido procesadas por exposición y transmisión del virus. La iniciativa sostiene que criminalizar el VIH no solo no detiene la epidemia, sino que también debilita los esfuerzos de prevención de salud pública, alienando a las personas con el virus.

La Comisión Dictaminadora subrayó que el objetivo de derogar el delito de “Peligro de Contagio” es evitar la estigmatización, discriminación y criminalización de las personas con enfermedades contagiosas, asegurando la protección de los derechos humanos como la igualdad, la no discriminación y la salud, principios sostenidos por la Constitución.

El dictamen, al someterse a consideración del pleno, resaltó que el delito “Peligro de Contagio” infringe los derechos a la igualdad y no discriminación de las personas con enfermedades, ya que criminaliza el simple hecho de padecer una enfermedad contagiosa, aumentando la estigmatización y el temor hacia estas personas, lo cual atenta contra la dignidad humana. La comisión concluyó que la derogación del tipo penal era viable, pues discrimina y criminaliza injustamente a las personas portadoras de enfermedades contagiosas.

La propuesta de reformar los artículos 77 y 119, y derogar el Capítulo I del Título Séptimo y el Artículo 212 del Código Penal para el Estado de Colima, fue sometida a votación sin el consenso de todos los grupos parlamentarios. Tras un receso y discusiones, se logró un acuerdo para aprobar las reformas con el apoyo de Morena y sus aliados.

Los diputados del PAN y PRI no votaron a favor, mientras que los de Movimiento Ciudadano se abstuvieron. Finalmente, por un margen de 15 votos, se aprobó la derogación del tipo penal “Peligro de Contagio”, marcando un paso adelante en la protección de los derechos humanos de las personas con enfermedades contagiosas, al evitar su estigmatización y criminalización.

US: New report published on the enforcement of HIV criminalisation in Ohio

‘Antiquated’ and unscientific laws enforced against Ohioans living with HIV: Report

Across the country, a growing coalition of advocates is pushing to repeal or update state laws that criminalize people living with HIV or AIDS.

In Ohio, six laws on the books either criminalize certain acts – including sex – for people living with HIV or substantially increase sentences for them compared to people who do not have the virus.

Most of the laws were passed decades ago, fueled by fear, absent scientific understanding about how HIV is transmitted and before advancements in HIV-related treatment were widely introduced. Laws still remain in place in 34 states.

There are no national reporting requirements that track arrests or prosecutions under the laws. Until now, it was unclear how frequently Ohio prosecutors have charged people under the laws, which also apply to people living with hepatitis or tuberculosis.

A report released today by Equality Ohio and the Ohio Health Modernization Movement (OHMM), two groups pushing for legal reform, reveals that more than half of the prosecutions over a six-year period were for acts – such as spitting or throwing bodily fluids – that were unlikely to transmit HIV. It also found a disproportionate number of people charged were Black compared to Ohio’s overall population of Black residents.

“Ohio is unique in that these antiquated laws are actually being utilized and enforced against everyday Ohioans who are living with HIV,” Kate Mozynski, an attorney with Equality Ohio and one of the co-authors of the report told the Buckeye Flame.

In 2022, about 25,000 people in Ohio had an HIV diagnosis. The rate of Black residents diagnosed with HIV was more than six times the rate of white residents.

The groups spent three years gathering information from prosecutors and courts in all 88 Ohio counties and identified 214 cases charged under the six laws. Often, the records lacked or had conflicting information on race or ethnicity, and the gender captured in law enforcement records didn’t always reflect a person’s gender identity.

That prevents researchers from fully understanding the impact that these laws are having on some of the most vulnerable populations in Ohio, including LQBTQ+ people, people experiencing incarceration and people of color, according to the report. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that laws criminalizing HIV exposure are outdated and may discourage testing, increase stigma and exacerbate disparities in Black and Latino communities.

Cuyahoga County had the highest number of charges

The report found that:

Prosecutions are concentrated in Ohio’s more populous counties, including Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Franklin and Lucas counties.
Cuyahoga County charged four times the number of people under the six laws than Franklin County, which has a higher population and more people living with HIV and AIDS. Cuyahoga County accounted for 26% of the cases identified.
The largest share of prosecutions involved Black men, based on recorded race and gender included in records.

A separate Marshall Project review of prosecutions under the six laws in Cuyahoga County from 2016 through 2022 examined 36 charges involving 35 defendants. That doesn’t didn’t include charges for solicitation, prostitution or loitering, which are generally misdemeanor crimes.

The cases involved 18 law enforcement agencies, including three hospital police departments and public transit police.

The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office, which decides whether to prosecute felony cases under Ohio’s laws, said these charges are determined on a “case-by-case basis” after considering input from victims, according to Lexi Bauer, communications manager. Bauer noted that the majority of the “harassment by bodily fluid” charges in recent years were related to hepatitis and not HIV.

Ohio penalties among the harshest

Ohio’s laws remain among the harshest when it comes to HIV criminalization, not just based on the conduct that is criminalized but also the penalties, said Jada Hicks, staff attorney for The Center for HIV Law and Policy.

In Ohio, people living with HIV (or viral hepatitis or tuberculosis) can be charged whether or not they:

Engaged in sex practices or other acts that could transmit the virus.
Transmitted HIV.
Used protection, such as condoms and/or dental dams.
Had an undetectable level of virus in their blood and were unable to transmit HIV.

Most of the charges examined in the report fall under two Ohio laws.

One law makes it a crime for a person living with HIV (or hepatitis or tuberculosis) to “harass” someone with their bodily fluids. That would include spitting or throwing urine, feces or blood at another person.

Under the other law, a person can be charged with felonious assault if they have sex with another person without telling them that they are living with HIV.

The penalties for failing to disclose HIV status in Ohio are stiff regardless of whether the virus was actually transmitted or whether it was even possible for a person to transmit the virus. Possible sentences for individuals living with HIV can be anywhere from two to 29 times longer than those for Ohioans who are HIV-negative.

Ohio is also one of six states that require individuals convicted under one of these statutes to register as a sex offender.

“Ohio’s HIV laws don’t require actual transmission or even the intent to transmit,” said Nathan Cisneros, a researcher with the Williams Institute, which does legal and public policy research on sexual orientation and gender identity. “Conduct that couldn’t transmit HIV – like spitting and biting, loitering while having a conversation about sex work – can land you in prison.”

The Williams Institute also published a report today that looked at arrests under Ohio’s six laws over two decades and felony prosecutions in Cuyahoga County from 2009 to 2022. Researchers identified at least 530 separate allegations under the six laws since 2000. Having consensual sex without disclosing an HIV-positive status made up nearly half of the total cases. Incidents related to sex work and bodily fluid exposure each accounted for nearly one-fifth of the total.

Changing legal landscape

Thirteen states have either repealed or modernized their HIV laws, according to the Center for HIV Law and Policy, including Illinois in 2021 and New Jersey in 2022.

Ohio advocates have been at the forefront of efforts to challenge the laws as discriminatory. In 2022, the Center for HIV Law and Policy filed a complaint with the Department of Justice on behalf of people living with HIV in Ohio and Tennessee.

In December, the DOJ notified Tennessee it was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by enforcing the state law that increases penalties for people convicted of prostitution if they also have HIV. On Feb. 15, the Justice Department filed charges against the state in federal court..

Combing state records for HIV-related charges

OHMM researchers gathered information from county-level online court records and local county clerk and prosecutors’ offices in Ohio’s 88 counties for a six-year period ending in 2020. The project identified 214 cases prosecuted under the six laws.

Behind each one of the cases, there is a “real, everyday Ohioan who happens to have a medical condition,” Mozynski said.

Where in Ohio are people being charged?

The highest concentration of charges are in the state’s larger metropolitan areas.

26% in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland)
12% in Hamilton County (Cincinnati)
7% in Lucas County (Toledo)
7% in Franklin County (Columbus)
Montgomery (Dayton) and Warren (Lebanon) counties, about 5% each.

What charges are most common?

More than half of the cases identified were for the charge of “harassment with a bodily substance,” which carries with it a penalty of up to 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Cases with this charge are often related to acts against law enforcement or corrections officers or healthcare workers.

Charges don’t distinguish between bodily fluids that can transmit HIV, such as blood, and those that do not, such as saliva, urine or feces. People can also be charged if they are living with hepatitis, regardless of whether it is transmitted.

Prosecutors also don’t have to prove whether a person is capable of transmitting the virus or determine whether it is scientifically impossible to transmit the virusdue to prescription-drug treatments that have reduced the presence of the virus in a person’s blood – called a viral load – to undetectable levels.

A third of the cases were for “felonious assault,” which carries the most severe penalty of any HIV-related charge – up to eight years of incarceration and a $15,000 fine. Each sexual act can be charged separately. It also doesn’t require that the virus be transmitted.

OHMM found no cases where people were charged with “selling or donating contaminated blood.” The Williams Institute found six arrests over a 20 year period related to blood donation.

Read the OHMM (“Enforcement of HIV Criminalization in Ohio: Analysis of Court Cases from 2014 to 2020”) report here.

Read the Williams report (“Enforcement of HIV Criminalization in Ohio HIV-related criminal incidents from 2000 to 2022”) here.