News

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.