the woman in the case is at fault. however i do think there are ways to address the situation without being as blatant as "do you have HIV/AIDS?" for example, it's no longer uncommon to sit down with a potential partner and exchange sexual histories. a mutual disclosure isn't an inquisition, rather showing responsibility (although the man and woman in the story obviously did not think to do this/opted not to.)
that said, for the rest of our lives, myself and my current partner will tell any prospective partners that i tested positive for an HPV. regardless of the fact that those cells have, to the best of my doctor's knowledge, been removed, it is the responsible thing to do.
sex is fun. boy howdy. but it's best saved (IMNSHO) for grown-ups, and by that i mean people who consciously choose to be responsible about such things.
And yes, at that point she lied to him. But by then the damage was done, surely? Don't we all, male or female, have to take responsibility for our own sexual health?
she lied to him every time she had sex unprotected and didn't disclose the info. you're right, it's not about the woman being at fault here, it's about one human being doing this to another. and while we *should* take responsibility for our own sexual health, part of that is honesty and disclosure. to offer that is to be able to expect it from your partner, as well.
I'm not suggesting she didn't have a moral obligation to tell him, nor that this isn't a horrible thing to happen to anyone. But legally, shouldn't she have the right to privacy?
see, knowingly communicating a disease with no cure absolves her of that right. and her name isn't in the papers, so there is a modicum of privacy still.
I'd like to think the legal result would be the same if he infected her...but I wonder.
there is a definite bias here. the poster is assuming a double standard where there is none. for the purposes of this type of case, m-f, m-m, f-f, f-m, doesn't matter. a human being has knowingly infected another human being.
forgive my nattering on. this is a hot button issue with nothing definitive and easily stated.
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branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2005-07-19 04:12 pm (UTC)that said, for the rest of our lives, myself and my current partner will tell any prospective partners that i tested positive for an HPV. regardless of the fact that those cells have, to the best of my doctor's knowledge, been removed, it is the responsible thing to do.
sex is fun. boy howdy. but it's best saved (IMNSHO) for grown-ups, and by that i mean people who consciously choose to be responsible about such things.
And yes, at that point she lied to him. But by then the damage was done, surely? Don't we all, male or female, have to take responsibility for our own sexual health?
she lied to him every time she had sex unprotected and didn't disclose the info. you're right, it's not about the woman being at fault here, it's about one human being doing this to another. and while we *should* take responsibility for our own sexual health, part of that is honesty and disclosure. to offer that is to be able to expect it from your partner, as well.
I'm not suggesting she didn't have a moral obligation to tell him, nor that this isn't a horrible thing to happen to anyone. But legally, shouldn't she have the right to privacy?
see, knowingly communicating a disease with no cure absolves her of that right. and her name isn't in the papers, so there is a modicum of privacy still.
I'd like to think the legal result would be the same if he infected her...but I wonder.
there is a definite bias here. the poster is assuming a double standard where there is none. for the purposes of this type of case, m-f, m-m, f-f, f-m, doesn't matter. a human being has knowingly infected another human being.
forgive my nattering on. this is a hot button issue with nothing definitive and easily stated.