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To: Suzan Anton, BC Minister of Justice
Stop the Unjust Prosecutions. HIV Isn't a Crime
Dear Suzanne Anton, please meet with Positive Living BC and consider their 14 recommendations for the current HIV non-disclosure charge guidelines. The guidelines are inherently discriminatory, the science behind the law is outdated, and they must be changed.
Why is this important?
Right now in BC, around 13,000 people living with HIV are vulnerable to prosecution based on the current charge guidelines surrounding HIV exposure. The science says there is almost no risk of transmitting HIV if you use a condom properly or have undetectable viral load (this is when meds you take fully suppress the virus in your blood). But people living with HIV are being prosecuted for a very serious crime—aggravated sexual assault—even if there’s no chance of their transmitting the virus. This is unjust.
Our 14 Recommendations include:
- Presumption against prosecution when transmission does not occur
- The involvement of the Provincial Medical Officer in all HIV non-disclosure cases
- The inclusion of relevant and up to date medical research surrounding transmission
- Meaningful consultation of persons living with HIV in forming the guidelines
We can’t change the federal law, but we can put guidelines in place that will ensure such unjust prosecutions don’t happen in BC. Help us achieve that.
For more info, please see our executive summary or the full position paper on the need for new HIV non-disclosure charge assessment guidelines
Executive Summary: http://ow.ly/LswKh
Position Paper: http://ow.ly/LswGy