The impending Supreme Court Decision on February 8th threatens to criminalize those living with HIV and condemn them to a life in fear of potential incarceration. We must not let this happen. Join us in support of the National Days of Action Against the Criminalization of HIV on February 6th and 7th to demand an end to the persecution and prosecution of those living with HIV.
AIDS ACTION NOW!, in conjunction with various other organizations across the country, will be organizing actions to call attention to the draconian measure of making those living with HIV/AIDS into criminals, and setting back preventative measures decades by creating even more stigma and shame around the disease.
In Toronto on February 6th, we will be organizing an evening for justice, starting at 5:30 (details on location TBD). We will have several guest speakers, representing various perspectives on the issue ; afterwards, we will be taking the message to the streets! Lead by a blind Lady Justice, her scales tipped out of balance, we will be marching with a chain gang of “prisoners”, each one representing a contractable disease that could be prosecuted should criminalization become law, and the science of “significant risk” be ignored in favour of ignorance. Our march will take us to the doors of Old City Hall, now the courthouse, where those facing charges would first arrive if criminalization were to become reality.
Criminalization represents a significant step backwards for those living with HIV/AIDS and for Canadians in general. It cannot be allowed to become reality. Stay tuned for more details, and mark your calendars for February 6th to help send a clear message to the Supreme Court – “WE ARE NOT CRIMINALS”!
Please do not allow this to happen. People with HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases are human beings who deserve to be treated with dignity and should be innocent under the law until proven guilty – like everyone else.
I support the Working Group’s recommendations and rationale that they use in their report. The risk as I see it that, without proper prosecutorial guidelines/training as to the nature of HIV/AIDS infection and treatment, it will be too easy to have unjust and unwarranted prosecutions and increased discrimination. I acknowledge that these cases of charges based on not disclosing infection to others is complex and very emotionally loaded.
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