Aids – the Duty to Warn
November 30, 2011
Aids – The Duty to Warn The AIDS epidemic began in the early to mid-1980’s and since it’s recognition in America it has become a very heated and debated topic among health professionals, the gay community, and most of all for the ones that are carrying the virus. The real debate is not over the virus itself but, rather about the infected individuals and whether or not they should be made morally obligated to tell their sexual partners if they are in fact infected. Both sides of the argument make very valid points. From one standpoint you have the gay community that believe in “safer sex ethic”, which keeps their partners in the dark about their overall health status and feel they are not morally obligated to tell their partners if they are practicing “safe sex”. In contrast to this, the other side of the argument claim that infected individuals is absolutely morally obligated to tell their partners before engaging in sexual activities. One of the major supporters of this are the healthcare professionals who have to assume the position from the “harm principle”; which requires a health professional to warn a third party if they are aware that their infected patient has not informed their partner and they are engaging in sexual relations with intent to harm the other person. I personally agree with this viewpoint and believe that any individual who engages in sexual activity with their partner are ethically and morally obligated to tell them if they are aware that they are in fact carrying the HIV/AIDS virus. From the begging the homosexual male and the gay community were rejected in America and have isolated themselves into this secret society separated from the norm of traditional heterosexual monogamy. These isolated communities centered on its erotophilic values have been forced to face a disease that does not discriminate and has become an epidemic. The HIV/AIDS virus has affected the gay community is such a way it has, “forced gay men to
Aids – The Duty to Warn The AIDS epidemic began in the early to mid-1980’s and since it’s recognition in America it has become a very heated and debated topic among health professionals, the gay community, and most of all for the ones that are carrying the virus. The real debate is not over the virus itself but, rather about the infected individuals and whether or not they should be made morally obligated to tell their sexual partners if they are in fact infected. Both sides of the argument make very valid points. From one standpoint you have the gay community that believe in “safer sex ethic”, which keeps their partners in the dark about their overall health status and feel they are not morally obligated to tell their partners if they are practicing “safe sex”. In contrast to this, the other side of the argument claim that infected individuals is absolutely morally obligated to tell their partners before engaging in sexual activities. One of the major supporters of this are the healthcare professionals who have to assume the position from the “harm principle”; which requires a health professional to warn a third party if they are aware that their infected patient has not informed their partner and they are engaging in sexual relations with intent to harm the other person. I personally agree with this viewpoint and believe that any individual who engages in sexual activity with their partner are ethically and morally obligated to tell them if they are aware that they are in fact carrying the HIV/AIDS virus. From the begging the homosexual male and the gay community were rejected in America and have isolated themselves into this secret society separated from the norm of traditional heterosexual monogamy. These isolated communities centered on its erotophilic values have been forced to face a disease that does not discriminate and has become an epidemic. The HIV/AIDS virus has affected the gay community is such a way it has, “forced gay men to