On May 11, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced two settlements involving claims that health care providers refused to serve people with HIV in clear violation of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).

On May 5th, Nick Rhoades, CHLP's Outreach and Event Specialist, engaged a crowd of Iowans on HIV criminalization at a wellness summit organized by Positive Iowans Taking Charge (PITCH).

At a May 7th public hearing, Adrian Guzman and Jeff Birnbaum, Program Director of the Health and Education Alternatives for Teens (HEAT), explained how Teen SENSE standards, and clear service guarantees for transgender youth, will improve a new intitiative by the New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS).

The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP) recently released three Model Policies designed for use by agencies and jurisdictions that provide services for youth in detention and foster care centers.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) of Scotland today issued guidance on intentional or reckless sexual transmission of, or exposure to, sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

New York, April 26, 2012 – Legal and public health experts are speaking out as the New York Court of Appeals, the highest court in New York, today reviews a case concerning the 2006 conviction of David Plunkett, an HIV-positive man, for aggravated assault for biting a police officer. The state prosecutor argued that Plunkett used his saliva as a "dangerous instrument" when he allegedly bit a police officer during an altercation, for which he is serving a 10-year prison term.

On Tuesday, Positive Justice Project (PJP) members were featured on a popular Baltimore radio show to discuss proposed HIV criminalization legislation in Maryland.

On Friday, a group of 65 organizations from around the country sent a letter to President Obama to declare that human rights be included in all HIV interventions, including access to integrated health, social, and support services and policies to end HIV-based discrimination.

On February 13, 2012, a  group of advocates and academics, primarily from Scandinavian civil society, met in Oslo, Norway and agreed on a ten-point declaration calling for the end of criminal prosecutions for HIV non-disclosure, exposure and unintentional transmission.

New York, February 13, 2012 – Legal and public health experts are speaking out against criminal charges that have been brought against an HIV-positive man in Branson, MO in connection with an altercation with arresting officers.

In September 2011, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act, the first piece of federal legislation to take on the issue of HIV criminalization. Currently, the bill has 25 congressional co-sponsors.

New York, February 1, 2012 – In the Life Media tonight will air the first documentary to examine the effect that HIV-specific criminal laws, used to imprison people living with HIV who fail to disclose their HIV status before sex, have on women living with the virus. The program, titled Perpetuating Stigma, will air on public television stations across the country throughout February.

New York, January 26, 2012 – The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP) released today the first set of standards created to ensure that sexual health care is included in basic medical services for young people in detention and other types of state custody, and that it meets minimum requirements for competent care.

The HIV Health Care Access Working Group (HHCAWG) encourages organizations and individuals to submit comments to HHS on the Essential Health Benefits (EHB) bulletin by January 31, 2012.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that most employers will be required to cover contraception in their health plans with no co-pays or deductibles.

New York, January 13, 2012 — Today in the United States Supreme Court, The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP), a national legal resource and strategy center, joined fifteen other national HIV advocacy organizations in a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as the ACA.

"These laws are archaic. They're criminalizing a population of people who should not be criminalized," said Representative Barbara Lee, D-CA, in an Associated Press article yesterday. CHLP Executive Director Catherine Hanssens blames the longevity of the laws on "a seemingly invincible ignorance" about HIV transmission. 

This Thursday, December 8, the Stonewall Policy Alliance and NYU Wagner will be hosting an event called "Moving Forward, Getting to Zero: the AIDS Crisis after 30 Years" from 5:00-7:00 PM

Leading HIV organizations in the U.S. sent a letter to President Obama today about the speech he will deliver on World AIDS Day, December 1st.

The Positive Justice Project will host a panel on HIV criminalization entitled, "When Sex is a Crime and Spit a Dangerous Weapon: Defending Against HIV Criminal Laws" during the upcoming United States Conference on AIDS in Chicago.