Criminalising unprotected sex
Leggett, T.
Safaids News Southern Africa Aids Information Dissemination Service Bulletin 7(2): 8
1999
ISSN/ISBN: 1029-3256 PMID: 12222351 Document Number: 526584
This paper discusses the possible impact of the plan of the African government to criminalize the spread of HIV virus through unprotected sex. In South Africa, the Law Commission is circulating a discussion paper on the ¿need for a statutory offense aimed at harmful HIV-related behavior¿. This paper provides an avenue to discuss the concerns over the government¿s plan to criminalize unprotected sex. In the paper, the author viewed that the most important effect of such a statute would not be in the number of actual murderers removed from the streets of Africa, but in the more subtle general impact such a statute would have. The statute might deter those thinking of passing on the virus thus adding to the hysteria around the disease. The author further mentioned other concerns related to the government¿s plan.