Grrrrrr.....

[pixiecrinkle]

Y'know, I have long had issues with the way our society/laws deal with the question of prostitution. I'm not totally convinced it should be criminal, and we certainly prosecute prostitutes and johns in very different ways, which I don't see as fair.

But the fact that local news stations are running a photo and divulging the name of a woman who has been previously arrested for prositution, and disclosing her positive HIV status because she's a "danger to the community"? WTF? How is that legal?

EDIT: I just emailed all four TV stations in Columbus (because they all have it on their website, or I saw it on their station last night) to express my displeasure at this. Grrrr...

EDIT again: Research:

http://www.nursinglaw.com/hivtest.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11363558&dopt=Abstract
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/09/29/loc_wwwloc2aids.html

On a quick perusal of these, it seems it's only illegal for a healthcare professional to disclose your status. Law enforcement and media seem to be able to do whatever. That last article is particularly pertinent to this situation. I still don't like it.

Comments

[futurecfo.livejournal.com]

Wow. I have no words.

[queensheba.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it seems like if you're purchasing the services of a prostitute, "buyer beware" applies - it's not the news's responsibility to inform you if the prostitute has HIV; you should assume the worst and protect yourself just in case.

[pixiecrinkle.livejournal.com]

That's kind of what I thought too--I mean, really, if someone is having sex with a prostitute, or just someone they don't know well, wouldn't they want to err on the side of caution?