Letter to the Editor: “I Need My Nurse!” Nurses and the Criminalization of HIV in North America, J. Craig Phillips, Jean-Laurent Domingue, Duane A. G. Morrisseau-Beck, Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (2013)

This letter to the editor raises concerns related to the lack of involvement of nursing professionals in the campaign to end the criminalization of HIV in North America.  While HIV-related criminal laws, public health laws, and laws governing nursing practice all have an effect on the profession, nurses are generally unversed regarding legal issues for people with HIV. As changes come under the Affordable Care Act, nurses who are not nuanced in these matters may be left unaware of their professional, ethical, and legal obligations in caring for people with HIV.  Additionally, nurses continue to play an influential role in HIV criminalization matters as they are often called upon to provide information that can alter perceptions for or against legal action, including prosecutorial decisions.

To address this gap in professional knowledge and help nurses remain in compliance with ethical obligations, nurses can join the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care or the Canadian Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Institutions such as these, in partnership with legal organizations, such as The Center for HIV Law and Policy, can work collaboratively to educate and involve nurses in exploring implications of, and advocating for an end to, discriminatory criminalization laws in North America.

THIS ARTICLE IS NOT FOR WIDE DISSEMINATION.