LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire-iReach/
The state of California recently passed legislation to reduce the penalty for those who knowingly or intentionally expose someone else to HIV without their knowledge from a felony to a misdemeanor. Passed in September by the California legislature and signed into law on October 6, 2017 by Governor Jerry Brown, SB 239 goes into effect in 2018.
The world's largest dating site for STD-positive singles, PositiveSingles.com, has surveyed its membership about this new legislation. Overwhelmingly, 81% of the dating site's members who responded do not agree with this new law and worry that the decriminalization might lead to a higher HIV infection rate in California. The remaining 19% of the responding membership agree with the change believing that HIV should not be a stigma and targeted in such a way. It is important to note that all of the members surveyed are living with a sexual transmitted disease, many with HIV, and more than have who are living with HIV do not agree with this new law.
Supporters of the new law argue that the previous law was antiquated because it included donated blood which today is tested for the HIV virus and the new bill would modernize California's HIV laws. The bill's sponsors stated that the old California law was outdated and stigmatized people living with HIV because most HIV-positive people who undergo regular treatment have a negligible chance of spreading the infection to others. They further stated that by destigmatizing HIV, people would be more encouraged and more likely to get tested for the virus, this lowering the overall transmission rate.
Opponents of the bill argued that reducing the penalty for knowingly transmitting the disease would lead to an increase in the infection rate, citing statistics that indicate three out of four HIV-positive patients do not take their medication properly. Believing that it is irresponsible for an individual to not disclose the possibility of transmitting a life-altering infection, opponents felt that people who put other's health at risk should bear the responsibility for the consequences of their actions.
"The logical absurdity of the new California law is that the authors of the bill claim it was intended to reduce and stop the spread of the HIV virus," stated a PositiveSingles.com spokesperson. "The content of the bill is completely contradictory to this stated goal and cannot be justified."
Disclaimer
This press release is not intended to discriminate or offend AIDs patients, homosexuals, or any other segment of the population. This change in the California law creates significant social concerns and PositiveSingles.com is striving to raise the awareness of this new legislation and the reaction of its membership. PositiveSingles.com advocates for the investment of more funding and social awareness for AIDs research to accelerate the process of finding a cure for the deadly disease. Eliminating the threat of AIDs will diffuse socially sensitive and discriminatory legislation like this bill.
Media Contact: Suny Smith, PositiveSingles, 1-416-628-1072, mediapress@positivesingles.com
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SOURCE PositiveSingles