A Decade of a Maturing Epidemic: An Assessment and Directions for Future Public Policy

Abstract

It has been nearly a decade since the first cases of AIDS were reported by the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC). During that time there have been over 200 statutes enacted in every jurisdiction in the country. Unfortunately, the content of the legislation is highly diverse, even inconsistent, from state to state, and there is very little guiding federal legislation or regulation. The profound social, moral and public policy dilemmas that are magnified by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic are still no closer to resolution. Should testing for HIV infection be voluntary, routine or compulsory when there is a higher risk of transmission of HIV? Should America return to traditional moral values of abstinence outside of marriage and zero tolerance of drug use, or should we teach safe sex and use of sterile injection equipment? Should health care professionals maintain strict confidentiality or do they have a duty to protect third parties in imminent danger?