Women's Advocacy Resource Connection

HIV is often simply a different disease for women, with a host of distinct issues, both biological and sociological. Biologically, women who have sex with men are more susceptible to HIV than men who have sex with women, and women living with HIV experience different clinical symptoms and complications. Sociologically, women living with HIV face enormous barriers to treatment and care as well as differences in quality of treatment and care compared to men. Gender inequalities such as socioeconomic disparities, domestic violence, and cultural expectations make women more vulnerable to HIV and, for women living with HIV, further marginalize an already marginalized population. These problems are exacerbated by the fact that, while there is great diversity among women with HIV across the country, statistically they are more likely to be poor and women of color. While HIV has become the third leading cause of death among women in the United States, it is the leading cause of death among African-American women ages 25-34.

The Women's Advocacy Resource Connection (WARC) provides resources that not only analyze HIV as it affects women specifically, but also provide women and other advocates with the tools to reverse these trends. These resources tackle issues such as gender disparities in care, prevention methods, reproductive health and rights, stigma, the rights and needs of young women, and more, with a focus on the experiences of women of color.

We also encourage you to visit the WARC Resource Bank page for more publications.

Highlighted Resources

HIV and Pregnancy: Medical and Legal Considerations for Women and Their Advocates, Center for HIV Law and Policy

This report and guide outlines the medical and legal issues surrounding HIV and pregnancy in the United States. It makes it clear that persistent beliefs among medical, social service, and justice system professionals that women with HIV should avoid childbearing are unsupported by medical science or the law. The guide is the first of its kind, and charts the intersecting medical, ethical, and legal issues that can arise for HIV-positive women who are or may become pregnant.

Know Your Rights: HIV and Pregnancy, The Center for HIV Law and Policy

Women who are HIV-positive and pregnant or considering becoming pregnant often face judgment and discrimination from the very medical care providers they rely upon to keep them healthy. This brief front-and-back handout provides an outline of the rights of pregnant women living with HIV to access non-discriminatory health care and to make informed decisions based on medically sound, understandable, and accurate information.